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THE 

IMMOVABLE   EAST 

STUDIES     OF     THE     PEOPLE 
AND    CUSTOMS    OF    PALESTINE 


BY 

PHILIP  J.   BALDENSPERGER 

Edited  with  a  Biographical  Introduction 

BY 

FREDERIC     LEES 


WITH     TWENTY-FOUR     ILLUSTRATIONS 


"  Slowly  they  wind  athwart  the  wild,  and  while  young  Day  his  anthem 
swells, 
Sad  falls  upon  my  yearning  ear  the  tinkling  of  the  Camel-bells." 

'J'he  Kasidah  of  Htji  Abdu  el-Yezdi. 


BOSTON 

SMALL,    MAYNARD    AND    COMPANY 

1913 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION VU 

I.      THE   GREY   TRIO 1 

II.      IN   THE   BEDAWIN   COUNTRY 23 

III.  SONS   OF  THE   PHILISTINES 50 

IV.  EHMAD   IMHAMAD'S   VISION 71 

V.      THE   GARDENS   OF   SOLOMON 98 

VI.  MURDER  AND   MARRIAGE   IN    URTAS         .       .       .115 

VII.      IBRAHIM'S   WEALTH 127 

VIII.      AN   EYE   FOR   AN   EYE 139 

IX.      LAIL 153 

X.      CREATURES   IN   COUNCIL           175 

XI.      THE   LADY   OF  HER   BRETHREN 197 

XII.      TAX-GATHERING   IN    NIMRIN 208 

XIII.  THE   WOOING   OF   SABHA 218 

XIV.  SONG  AND   DANCE   IN   THE  EAST        ....  247 
XV.      THEN  AND   NOW 278 

INDEX  297 


LIST    OF     ILLUSTRATIONS 


TOWER    OF     DAVID,    MOUNT     ZION,    GIHON,    AND     PLAIN    OF 

REPHAiM  .......     Frontispiece 

facing 

page 

PLOUGHING    IN    JUDiEA              ......  6 

A  FELLAH  AND  HIS  CAMELS   ON   THE   BANKS  OF  THE   KISHON  12 

A    BEDAWI    OF    THE    KISHON                 .....  32 

BY    THE    DEAD    SEA                       ......  40 

A    LINE    OF    CAMELS                      ......  56 

DOME    OF    THE    ROCK,    JERUSALEM                ....  68 

A    DERVISH               ........  74 

GROTTO     OF    ELIJAH,     MT.     CARMEL             ....  90 

DOME    OF    THE    ASCENSION                    .....  94 

MAP   OF   GARDENS   OF   SOLOMON    AND   ENVIRONS          .              .  100 

A    SHEPHERD                                      ......  102 

SOLOMON'S    POOLS    AND    CARAVANSARY                  .              .              .  106 

JAFFA    GATE                          .......  132 

PLAIN   OF   JERICHO   AND   DEAD   SEA,    FROM   OLIVET                   .  140 

BEDAWIN    TENT,    VALLEY    OF    ACHOR                        .              .              .  152 

A  STREET  IN  JERUSALEM                       .....  164 

SHEPHERD    AND    SHEEP,    NEAR    JERUSALEM       .              .              .  168 

DAN,    SOURCE     OF     THE    JORDAN      .....  178 

SILOAM    FELLAHAT    GOING    TO    JERUSALEM                         .              .  236 

FELLAHAT    OF    BATTIR    GOING    TO    MARKET        ,              .              .  240 

A    NElYE,    OR    ZOOMARA                                        ....  250 

NEBY    MOOSA    PROCESSION    AND    HOLY    STANDARD     .              ,  266 

TOWER    OF    RAMLEH                      ......  294 

MAP    OF    PALESTINE       .             .               .....  296 


INTRODUCTION 

Books  descriptive  of  the  East  may  be  roughly 
divided  into  three  classes.  First,  there  are  the 
volumes  of  "  Impressions  "  of  literary  men  who 
set  themselves  the  difficult  task,  after  a  more  or 
less  lengthy  stay  in  the  Orient,  of  faithfully 
representing  Oriental  scenes,  manners  and  cus- 
toms. These  are  interesting  principally  on 
account  of  their  authors — they  are  vivid,  personal 
interpretations  of  Eastern  life  by  men  of  unde- 
niable power  of  observation  and  descriptive  skill. 
Intended  more  for  the  general  reader  than  the 
student,  these  impressionistic  studies  serve  the 
useful  purpose  of  reveahng  the  brilliant  and 
ever- fascinating  surface  of  the  East.  Rarely  do 
they  take  us  to  its  depths.  To  gain  a  deeper 
knowledge  of  Orientalism,  we  must  go  to  a  second 
category  of  books, — those  written  by  professional 
OrientaUsts,  whose  special  linguistic  studies  and 
extensive  travels  entitle  them  to  be  ranked  as 
authorities.  But  here  again  these  writers  do  not 
tell  us  all.  They  too  often  view  the  Orient  through 
Occidental  eyes,  and  in  certain  vital  respects  fail  to 
paint  the  picture  in  its  true  colours.  Only  by 
Orientals — or  by  those  whose  long  sojourn  in  the 
East  has  formed  their  minds  after  the  Oriental 
pattern — can  the  Orient  be  adequately  described. 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

This  third  and  necessarily  small  class  of  works 
is  the  one  which  must  ever  hold  the  place  of 
honour  on  our  book-shelves. 

The  following  essays  and  stories  belong,  I  claim, 
to  this  last  special  category  of  Oriental  literature. 
Mr.  Philip  J .  Baldensperger,  owing  to  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  his  career,  is  able  to  tell  the 
story  of  the  Fellahin  and  Bedawin  as  an  Oriental 
would  tell  it.  As  his  collaborator,  the  late  Claude 
Reignier  Conder,  the  author  of  Tent  Work  in 
Palestine,  once  said,  "  He  is  '  a  voice  from  the 
East,'  " — an  accurate  witness  to  many  interesting 
and  almost  unknown  sides  of  life  in  Palestine. 
Few  men,  as  his  biography  shows,  have  had  such 
excellent  opportunities  as  he  for  accumulating 
facts  regarding  the  people  and  customs  of  the 
Holy  Land. 

His  father,  Henry  Baldensperger,  of  Balden- 
heim,  Alsatia,  was  sent  to  Jerusalem  in  1848  as 
a  missionary  of  the  Basel  Spittler  Mission.  His 
mother,  from  Niederbronn,  Alsatia,  joined  his 
father  soon  afterwards  in  Jerusalem,  where  they 
were  married.  Penetrated  by  the  belief  that  they 
were  called,  under  the  protection  of  Divine 
providence,  to  teach  the  people  of  Palestine  better 
ways,  not  by  preaching  the  Word,  but  by  exem- 
plary life  and  work,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baldensperger 
soon  left  the  Basel  Spittler  Mission  to  undertake 
an  independent  one  of  their  own  among  the  natives. 
They  bought  land  and  built  a  house  in  the  village 


INTRODUCTION  ix 

of  Urtas,  on  the  borders  of  the  Desert  of  Judaea, — 
a  spot  where  the  villagers  had  abandoned  every- 
thing for  fear  of  the  continual  incursions  of  the 
neighbouring  Ta^amry  Bedawin.  But  on  the 
Anglican  Bishop  Gobat  founding  a  school  for 
Arab  orphan  boys  on  Mount  Zion,  in  Jerusalem, 
he  appealed  to  the  Baldenspergers  for  temporary 
help  as  stewards,  and  it  was  only  forty-four  years 
afterwards  that  they  retired  again  to  Urtas. 
Meanwhile,  their  children  were  growing  up.  Philip 
Baldensperger  was  born  on  June  5th,  1856,  in 
Zion's  School,  built  on  the  ruins  and  rockscarp 
of  an  old  fortress  attributed  to  King  David, — 
buildings  owned  by  the  Mission,  and  where  natives 
are  still  educated  by  the  Church  Missionary 
Society.  Mr.  Palmer,  a  German,  was  headmaster, 
and  there  were  also  native  teachers  for  Arabic. 

The  majority  of  the  sixty  or  seventy  boys  were 
Arabs.  As  the  school  lay  outside  the  present 
walls  of  Jerusalem,  the  pupils  went  to  Christ's 
Church,  inside  the  walls  by  Zion's  Gate,  on  Sundays 
and  feast  days.  The  official  language  in  the 
schoolroom  was  English,  but  Arabic  was  always 
used  outside.  Within  the  family  circle  German 
was  spoken,  though  French  was  always  held  in 
honour.  Thus  did  Philip,  his  brothers  and  sister 
become  acquainted  from  their  earliest  years  with 
four  tongues. 

Henry  Baldensperger  never  forgot  the  dream 
of  his  youth.     In  1869  he  sent  Philip  and  an  elder 


X  INTRODUCTION 

brother  to  Urtas  to  survey  the  lands  he  owned  in 
Phihstia,  in  Moab  and  in  the  Jordan  Valley. 
The  two  youths  thus  passed  many  of  their  early 
days  on  horseback,  riding  across  the  country  north 
and  south,  east  and  west,  exclusively  among 
Bedawin  and  Fellahin,  in  the  camp  and  in  the 
village,  and  considered  almost  as  natives. 

After  the  Franco-Prussian  War,  PhiUp  Balden- 
sperger  volunteered  to  the  country  of  his  ancestors, 
in  view  of  regaining  Alsace,  and  was  in  the  cavalry 
(Chasseurs  de  France)  from  1875  to  1880.  But 
he  was  glad  to  return  to  Palestine  again,  where 
from  1880  to  1892  he  principally  devoted  himself 
to  pastoral  apiculture,  carrying  the  bees  from 
Jaffa  to  Jerusalem,  or  from  Hebron  to  the  Gaza 
district.  His  father  kept  bees  on  Zion  and  in 
the  old  castle  above  Solomon's  Pools  beyond 
Bethlehem,  in  the  old  clay  hives  of  immemorial 
model.  An  English  minister  in  search  of  bees, 
meeting  him  by  chance,  gave  him  a  copy  of  the 
British  Bee  Journal,  the  first  bee-paper  he  had 
ever  seen.  But  he  was  too  busy  in  the  orphanage 
to  devote  himself  to  apiculture.  However,  when, 
later,  in  1880,  Mr.  D.  A.  Jones,  of  Beeville,  Canada, 
and  Mr.  Frank  Benton,  of  the  United  States,  came 
to  Jerusalem  for  the  study  and  exportation  of 
Oriental  bees,  Henry  Baldensperger  was  once  more 
appealed  to  as  a  "  bee-keeper."  Philip's  four 
brothers  did  not  much  care  for  the  idea  of  this 
branch  of  agriculture  until  he  came  back  from 


INTRODUCTION  xi 

France  and  went  to  Beyrut  to  meet  Mr.  Benton, 
with  whom  he  stayed  many  months  and  thoroughly 
learned  apiculture  at  the  apiaries  he  had  estab- 
lished in  Cyprus  and  Syria  for  breeding  queens  to 
send  to  England  and  the  United  States.  It  was 
then  that  Philip  Baldensperger's  four  brothers 
abandoned  their  other  agricultural  work,  let  out 
the  family  lands  on  hire,  and  devoted  themselves 
exclusively  to  bee-keeping.  The  five  brothers  were 
associated  in  pastoral  bee-keeping  for  several  years, 
travelling  up  and  down  the  country,  carrying  the 
hives  and  portable  wooden  houses  on  the  backs 
of  camels  from  the  plains  to  the  hills  in  summer, 
and  back  to  the  sea-district  in  winter  ;  camping 
and  fighting  the  mosquitoes  and  the  fever — a 
consequence  of  roaming  about  in  unhealthy  marshy 
places — as  well  as  the  vile  tax-gatherers  and 
Turkish  officials ;  now  standing  to  face  these 
despicable  functionaries  or  escaping  with  bees, 
camels  and  everything  else  to  another  Pachalik  ; 
losing  bees  and  camels  in  the  wildest  of  adventures, 
often  caused  by  a  hive  suddenly  thrown  to  the 
ground  by  one  of  the  camels,  spreading  death 
and  destruction  on  roads  and  passes,  leaving 
donkey  or  mule  dead  by  the  wayside  or  pushing 
camels  and  horses  as  well  as  terror-stricken  Arab 
assistants  into  caves  for  shelter  against  the 
infuriated  insects.  Disgusted  by  the  officials* 
odious  vexations  and  injustice,  two  of  the  Balden- 
sperger  brothers  left  the  country,  carrying  part 


xii  INTRODUCTION 

of  their  hives  and  apparatus  with  them  to  Algeria. 
Another  was  drowned  whilst  bathing  in  the  sea 
at  Jaffa.  Finally^  Philip,  exhausted  by  fever 
and  doubtful  of  ever  being  able  to  change  the 
mentality  of  the  natives  in  the  "  immovable  East/' 
himself  abandoned  the  task  and,  with  his  wife, 
an  American  whom  he  had  married  in  1883,  and 
his  children,  came,  in  1892,  to  Nice,  leaving  an 
only  brother  to  continue  bee-keeping  in  Palestine. 
The  brothers  who  had  gone  to  Algeria  were  soon 
glad  to  return  home  again,  for  Palestine  is  still 
"  the  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey."  Two 
have  died  since  Philip  Baldensperger's  departure 
to  France,  and  again  an  only  one  is  left,  carrying 
his  bees  about  as  in  the  early  years  and  with  much 
better  success,  as  the  Turkish  officials  have  become 
more  accommodating. 

Naturally,  Philip  Baldensperger's  first  literary 
work  concerned  bees  and  bee-keeping.  The 
British  Bee  Journal,  Gleanings,  French  and  German 
periodicals  have  published  a  multitude  of  con- 
tributions from  his  pen.  His  first  article  on 
Palestine  appeared  in  1883  in  a  German-Hebrew 
book,  entitled  Jerusalem,  edited  by  a  blind  Jew, 
A.  Luncz.  Since  1893  he  has  been  a  regular 
contributor  to  the  "  Quarterly  Statement "  of 
the  Palestine  Exploration  Fund,  writing  princi- 
pally on  the  unchangeable  manners  and  customs 
of  the  people  of  the  Holy  Land.  Many  writers 
and  travellers  in  the  East  have  referred  to  these 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

scattered  writings  during  the  last  twenty  years, 
whilst  Palestine  Exploration  Societies  as  well  as 
authors  have  acknowledged  the  value  of  his 
observations.  Among  those  who  have  cited  him 
in  their  books  are  Mrs.  A.  Goodrich  Freer,  author 
of  Inner  Jerusalem,  Mr.  S.  S.  Curtiss,  Professor 
of  Old  Testament  Literature  and  Interpretation, 
of  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  Professor  R.  A. 
Stewart  Macalister,  author  of  The  Excavation  of 
Gezer,  and  Dr.  F.  J.  Bliss,  who,  on  behalf  of  the 
Palestine  Exploration  Fund,  collaborated  with  Mr. 
Macahster  in  exploration  work  in  the  Holy  Land. 
Even  in  the  Hebrew  schools  at  Jerusalem  some 
of  Philip  Baldensperger's  ethnological  notes  serve 
as  a  text-book  under  the  title  The  Land  of  Israel  : 
Present  and  Past  ("  Arz  Yeshrael  ha-yom  wa 
lafneem "), — a  volume  of  extracts  from  con- 
tributions to  the  "  Quarterly  Statement  "  between 
1904  and  1906. 

The  object  of  the  work  undertaken  by  Mr. 
Baldensperger  and  myself — and  I  would  say  at 
the  outset  that  The  Immovable  East  is  in  no  way 
a  rechauffe  of  previously  pubUshed  papers — is  to 
give  the  general  public  the  benefit  of  his  intimate 
knowledge  of  Palestine,  studied  with  the  Bible 
in  hand  and  under  auspices  rarely  to  be  enjoyed 
by  Europeans,  since  the  facts  here  recorded  can 
only  be  gathered  in  the  company  of  natives,  and 
out  of  the  beaten  track  of  tourists,  who  only  hear 
and  see  in  hotels,  on  railways,  or  with  caravans 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

through  the  ears  and  eyes  of  their  Dragomans, 
and  who  thus  only  half  lift  the  veil  which 
hangs  between  the  Occidental  visitor  and  the 
authentic  land  of  the  Bible — a  land  which  is  not 
even  known  to  the  modem  Jews  themselves. 
Our  aim  is  also  to  show  how  intimately  the  three 
Mediterranean  rehgions  have  taken  root  in  the 
same  country,  on  the  same  traditions  and  in  the 
same  language,  basing  their  unity  on  the  remote 
past,  still  lingering  in  one  common  beUef,  in  the 
Jew,  Christian  or  Mohammedan,  not  only  as 
regards  the  shrines  of  Abraham  and  the  patriarchs, 
Rachel,  the  prophets  Samuel,  Elijah,  Isaiah, 
Zechariah,  and  so  forth, — equally  venerated  by 
the  three, — but  in  addition  in  a  more  immovable 
form  in  the  occult  world,  or  ghost-land,  which 
differs  from  that  of  the  past  not  even  in  smallest 
details.  Just  as  Saul  himself,  when  officially 
persecuting  wizards  and  witches,  went  secretly 
to  enquire  of  the  witch  at  Endor,  who  brought 
up  the  "gods  ascending  out  of  the  earth"  (I. 
Samuel  xxviii.  13-14)  and  Samuel  in  a  miantle, 
so  will  the  modern  Canaanites  (now  Moslems) 
search  out  those  with  familiar  spirits,  who  in  turn 
see  Genii  (or  gods)  arise  out  of  the  earth  with  green 
mantles  and  white  beards.  If  a  Canaanite  who 
died  centuries  before  Joshua's  invasion  of  the 
land  could  arise  again  after  a  repose  of  4,000  years 
and  not  know  that  Baal  has  been  changed,  his 
altars  given  over  to  Jehovah's  servants,  who  in 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

their  turn  handed  them  on  to  Greeks  and  Romans, 
the  followers  of  Christ,  and  finally  to  the  Moslems, 
— if  that  Canaanite  wished  to  visit  his  sanctuaries 
he  would  find  the  venerated  spot  on  Ebal  still  a 
place  of  devotion  to  the  Samaritan  Jews  (now 
only  about  150  persons  in  aU),  he  would  see  Greek 
and  Roman  Catholic  Christians  go  out  in  pro- 
cession to  Baal's  altar  on  Mount  Carmel.  More- 
over, he  would  perceive  that  every  movement  of 
the  worshippers  is  the  same  :  bowing,  dancing, 
knife-cutting,  sacrifices  to  the  Saint.  The  only 
difference  he  would  observe  would  be  in  the  name. 
Elijah  has  taken  the  place  of  Baal.  Rushing  to 
the  sacred  platform  of  the  Baal-Shamim  in 
Jerusalem,  again  he  would  see  numerous  pilgrims 
in  gaudy  dresses  sacrificing  to  Allah  and  his 
prophet  Mohammed.  He  would  avoid  big  centres 
to  see  his  "  green  heights  "  far  away  from  modern 
Moslem  and  Christian  civilisation  and  look  for 
the  statue  in  the  temple  of  Ashteroth  in  the  lovely 
grove  on  the  hill  beyond  the  plain  of  Rephaim. 
Quietly  he  would  enter  and  gladly  see  that  nothing 
is  changed.  The  small  oil  lamp  in  honour  of 
his  beloved  goddess  is  stiU  burning  in  the  niche, 
but  it  is  the  Bedariyeh,  the  Moslem  Aurora,  who 
has  taken  the  well-known  place.  Flying  through 
the  air,  he  would  go  north  to  Safed  and  find  Jews 
dancing  wildly  around  their  sanctuaries,  throwing 
shawls  and  clothing  into  the  fire,  drinking  and 
howling,  certainly  in  honour  of  Baal.   How  strange 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

that  Canaanite's  experience  would  be,  and  yet 
how  very  famihar  everything  would  be  to  him  ! 
The  towns  bear  the  same  names,  the  ancient 
sacred  spots  are  still  venerated,  the  holy  waters 
are  still  visited,  even  if  the  saint  has  slightly 
changed  his  name.  No,  after  aU,  our  Canaanite 
could  not,  I  think,  but  feel  quite  at  home.  The 
houses  are  built  in  the  same  way  as  when  he  trod 
the  earth,  the  furniture  is  the  same,  the  people,  in 
spite  of  an  outward  change  of  religion,  think  just 
as  his  ancestors  thought  when  Canaan  was  a  land 
of  many  kings.  If  he  were  to  go  to  Salem  to  see 
if  some  hospitable  Melchisedek,  Priest  of  the  Most 
High,  would  offer  the  Stranger  bread  and  drink 
as  was  the  habit  in  his  days  (Genesis  xiv.  18), 
he  would  find  that  an  astonished  Abd-el-'Hei-ben 
Sadek,  a  Moslem  Imam,  would  offer  him  hospitahty 
in  the  old,  old  way  on  the  roof  of  the  mosque.  If  he 
were  to  remember  the  smaU  salt  lake  in  the  south 
which  by  its  underground  volcanoes  on  the  Plain 
of  Siddim  encroached  on  the  surrounding  towns, 
destroying  parts  here  and  there,  forming  bitumen 
pits  into  which  strangers  slipped  easily  (Genesis 
xiv.  10),  he  would  wonder,  on  finding  the  immense 
sea  some  forty  miles  in  length  and  nine  in 
breadth,  what  has  happened.  But  shades  of  the 
Sodomites  of  the  catastrophe  period  would  join 
him  and  tell  him  that  in  the  "  immovable  East  " 
even  this  Dead  Sea  continues  as  in  his  days  to 
destroy  first  the  four  towns  and  later  on  Zoar, 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

and  that  it  is  still  kiUing  and  destroying  animal 
life,  forests  and  inhabitants,  so  that  for  miles  and 
miles  every  town  and  village  has  disappeared. 
Then  would  the  ghostly  Stranger  acknowledge 
that  this  land  is  reaUy  his  own  Canaan,  and  would 
retire  contented  to  await  the  time  when,  centuries 
hence,  he  wiU  make  another  tour  of  inspection. 

Finally,  our  object  has  been  to  show  that  if  a 
few  names  of  places  have  been  changed  and 
confused,  as  Salem  and  Morah  in  Samaria,  which 
were  transported  to  Jerusalem,  and  Moriah  in 
Judea  for  political  reasons,  yet  thousands  of 
villages  have  retained  their  names  in  Bethel, 
Bethlehem,  Beersheba,  Hebron,  Gaza,  Jaffa  and 
Akka.  Moreover,  ancient  manners  and  customs, 
parts  of  clothing,  articles  of  common  use  and 
household  furniture  are  still  to  be  seen  in  spite 
of  terrible  and  lengthy  invasions  from  Egypt 
and  Assyria,  Greece  and  Rome,  and  in  spite  of 
the  struggle  between  the  Crescent  and  the  Cross. 
The  old  Canaanite  and  his  habits  have  outlived 
every  nation  and  religion  with  their  vices  and 
their  virtues.  His  was  the  most  tenacious  of  all 
races.  His  descen dents  stiU  reward  in  the  old 
way,  giving  animals  as  a  recompense,  like  Pharaoh 
and  Abimelech  (Genesis  xx.  14),  or  changes  of 
garment,  as  Naaman,  the  Syrian,  did  to  Gehazi 
(II.  Kings  xxxiii.  4) ;  burying  the  dead  near 
sanctuaries,  like  the  patriarchs  in  Macpelah  out 
of    the    sight    of   the    camp  (Genesis    xxiii.  4) ; 

2— (2131) 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

paying  for  brides  or  serving  a  term  of  seven  years 
as  shepherds  (Genesis  xxix.  20)  ;  writing  verses 
on  their  standards  according  to  the  ancestor's 
signs  and  colours,  Hke  the  tribes  in  the  desert 
(Numbers  ii.  2)  ;  or  leading  the  sacrifice  to  a 
sanctuary  for  a  vow,  just  like  Samuel  did  in 
Bethlehem  (I.  Samuel  xvi.  5).  Travellers  in 
Palestine  can  still  find  the  prisons  near  Governors' 
palaces  in  every  important  town  and  see  prisoners 
unshaven  and  unkempt,  like  Joseph  or  Jeremiah, 
pass  through  Gibeah  ;  they  can  still  visit  places 
where  there  are  unfriendly  faces, — where  no  man, 
just  as  in  the  old  days  (Judges  xix.  15),  will 
receive  the  native-foreigner  even  for  a  lodging  ; 
they  can  stiU,  on  the  other  hand,  on  going  further 
south,  encounter  people  who  are  as  hospitable  as 
in  the  days  of  the  Judges. 

The  ordinary  visitor  to  the  Holy  Land  is  shown 
the  so-called  traditional  "  Holy  Places,"  which 
very  often  have  been  invented  for  the  necessities 
of  communities  established  there,  but  he  never 
or  rarely  steps  aside  to  meet  men  living  in  tents 
as  Abraham  and  Sarah  lived,  or  to  go  to  marriages 
where  he  would  see  a  ceremonial  dating  from  the 
days  of  Jacob.  It  is  hoped  that  the  following 
pages  will  induce  him  to  venture  from  the  beaten 
track  and  discover  that  the  Bible  was  really 
written  in  this  "  immovable  East,"  and  that, 
with  a  competent  guide,  he  can  hear  for  himself 
the  stories  of  bygone  days.      If  we   succeed    in 


INTRODUCTION  xix 

doing  that,  and  at  the  same  time  have  written  a 
useful  commentary  on  the  Bible  and  its  days, 
we  shall  feel  that  our  labour  has  not  been  in 
vain. 

Frederic  Lees. 

Cagnes,  A.m.,  December  8th,  1912. 


THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 


I 

THE    GREY   TRIO 

I 

Palestine  is  the  land  of  greyness.  Not  only  are 
you  struck  by  the  grey  and  eternal  olive-trees, 
which  spring  up  again  from  the  roots  when  cut 
down  and  form  new  trees  ;  by  the  grey  rocks ;  the 
partridges  and  pigeons  which  climb  and  fly  about 
the  boulders  in  search  of  food,  or  fall  a  prey  to 
numerous  grey  or  dark  rapacious  birds,  but  most 
of  all  are  you  impressed  by  the  grey-clad  archaic 
Fellahin,  the  grey  ruins  on  every  ancient  site 
and  the  grey  quick-moving  Haradin  :  those  three 
living  witnesses  of  the  remote  days  when  bibUcal 
events  were  first  set  down  in  words.  ^     At  almost 

1  Let  me  say,  in  explanation  of  a  few  Arabic  words  which  are 
used  throughout  the  following  pages,  that  Fellah  (Cultivator) 
is  masculine  singular,  Fellaha  feminine  singular,  Fellahin  mascu- 
line plural  and  Fellah§,t  feminine  plural.  Khirby  signifies  a 
ruin  and  Kharaib  ruins.  They  must  not  be  confounded  with 
Kirby  and  Kirrub,  the  singular  and  plural  for  leather  water-bottle. 
Hardon  and  Haradin  are  the  singular  and  plural  forms  for  the 
Stellio-agamide  lizard,  Stellio  cor dy Una  ;  whilst  the  singular  and 
plural  for  shirt  are  Thob  and  Thiab.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the 
nomadic  tribes  are  known  to  English  readers  as  Bedouins,  or 
Bedawin,  I  have  retained  the  latter  spelling,  although  the  late 
Claude  Reignier  Conder,  the  author  of  Tent  Work  in  Palestine 
and  other  invaluable  works  on  the  East,  agreed  with  me  that  the 
correct  form  was  Bedu.  The  feminine  singular  of  this  word  is 
Bedawiye,  the  feminine  plural  Bedawiyat. 


2  THE    IMMOVABLE   EAST 

every  step,  when  you  go  to  the  denuded  grey  hills 
of  the  Holy  Land,  do  you  meet  this  grey  and  well- 
nigh  inseparable  trio.  Within  the  shelter  of  a 
ruin,  perched  on  a  hillock  or  mountain  top  and 
telling  the  eternal  tale  of  grandeur  and  decadence, 
the  Fellah  makes  his  home  and  installs  his  herds. 
Man  and  beast  live  in  close  community.  A  single 
room  serves  as  kitchen,  reception-room  and  bed- 
chamber,— a  room  provided  very  often  with  but 
one  door  and  only  occasionally  a  window,  and  the 
floor  of  which  consists  of  two  levels  :  the  upper 
one  for  the  owner,  stretched,  at  night,  on  a  straw 
mat  or  a  carpet,  the  lower  one  for  the  animals. 
Sometimes,  during  the  long  winter  nights,  the 
latter  are  sheltered  in  a  neighbouring  cave,  but 
more  often  the  shepherd  and  his  flocks  are  together 
in  the  same  chimneyless,  smoky  habitation.  An 
enclosure,  protected  by  thorny  hedges,  surrounds 
them,  and  there,  in  the  midst  of  refuse  and  manure 
and  vermin,  they  live  in  peace  and  contentment, 
side  by  side  with  their  faithful  companion  the 
Hardon.  You  can  see  him  on  any  sunny  day,  if 
you  are  careful  to  watch  long  enough  and  quietly, 
on  the  look-out  for  flies  and  insects  near  the  dung- 
hill ;  or  else,  lying  at  the  top  of  a  conspicuous  stone 
or  rock,  shaking  the  fore  part  of  his  body  and  lifting 
his  triangular  head  as  though  in  a  trembling  fit 
of  prayer,  until,  warned  by  a  sound  of  your  pre- 
sence, he  darts  away  and  hides  in  his  hole  in  the 
crumbling  ruins. 


THE    SEVEN    NATIONS  3 

Nothing  is  so  worthy  of  study,  on  the  part  of 
those  who  seek  an  illustration  of  the  Bible  nar- 
rative, as  this  grey  trio.  For  is  it  not  evident  that 
the  Book  was  written  by  immediate  ancestors  of 
the  Fellahin  ?  Are  not  the  Fellahin  themselves 
and  their  ruins  the  best  proof  of  this  ?  Do  not 
even  the  exaggerations  and  mystico-religious  tales 
of  the  Bible  point  to  the  same  conclusion  ? — But 
how  comes  it,  then,  that  Jeremiah,  Amos,  Micah 
and  other  lesser  prophets,  who  give  us  the  most 
minute  and  accurate  descriptions  of  nearly  every- 
thing else,  never  mention  the  Fellahin  ?  The 
omission  is,  I  think,  easily  explainable. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  Israehtes  under  Joshua 
invaded  Palestine  they  found  seven  principal 
nations  occupying  the  southern  and  central  moun- 
tains,— nations  which,  in  order  to  show  the  great- 
ness of  the  conquest,  were  enumerated  as  Amorites, 
Hittites,  Perizzites,  Hivites,  Canaanites,  Rephaims 
and  Jebusites.  But  in  my  opinion  these  so-called 
nations  were  but  groups  of  a  single  race,  generally 
designated  as  Amorites, — tribes  exercising  differ- 
ent employments  in  one  social  agglomeration,  with 
commanders  or  kings  at  every  important  town. 
The  Amorites,  or  Speakers,  were  the  leading  fami- 
lies, who  discussed  the  convenience  of  declaring 
war  or  of  resisting  the  onslaughts  of  an  enemy. 
The  Hittites  were  the  soldiers,  ready  to  fight  the 
nation's  battles  at  a  moment's  warning.  The 
Perizzites,  or  Villagers,  were  the  peaceful  country 


4  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

folk,  willing  to  take  up  arms,  if  necessary,  but 
usually  merely  asking  to  be  allowed  to  work  and 
live  tranquilly  under  their  vines  and  fig-trees.  The 
Hivites,  or  Encerclers,  belonged  to  the  Dervish 
class,  were  skilled  in  the  art  of  magic  and,  like  the 
modern  Hawi,  were  serpent-charmers.  The 
Canaanites — an  important  factor  in  the  national 
life — were  merchants,  carrying  goods  and  news 
from  place  to  place.  The  Rephaims,  or  Giants, 
were  the  healers  ;  they  were  also  called  Jabburim, 
and,  like  the  modern  Jabbar,  excelled  in  the  art 
of  curing  broken  limbs.  Finally,  the  Jebusites 
were,  as  their  name  implies,  the  Drylanders, — 
a  group  worthy  of  mention  not  because  they  were 
more  of  a  nation  than  the  inhabitants  of  other 
towns  but  because  they  resisted  the  invaders  for 
at  least  four  centuries  after  all  Judah  had  come 
under  Hebrew  domination. 

As  soon  as  the  Hebrews  had  settled  down  or 
been  absorbed  by  the  older  inhabitants,  the  people 
of  Palestine  mostly  lived  in  a  Perez,  or  village, 
and  became  an  agricultural  nation.  But  the 
name  under  which  they  were  known — Perizzites — 
was  a  term  of  scorn,  used  to  designate  idolaters 
and  enemies  of  the  new  regime.  ^     It  was  not  until 

1  History  furnishes  us  with  many  similar  examples  of  the  ori- 
ginal name  of  agriculturist  being  used  to  indicate  people  of  past 
religions  and  as  synonymous  with  anti-progressist.  In  England 
the  refractory  inhabitants  of  the  heath  were  denominated  as 
heathen  ;  in  Germany,  they  became  Heide  ;  in  France  the  dweller 
in  the  country  (pays)  became  a  paysan,  or,  as  he  was  called  in  old 
French,  a  paten, — a  pagan. 


THE    KAFIR  5 

later,  when  they  had  adopted  the  name  of  Hebrews 
or  Israehtes  as  a  whole,  that  their  name  was 
changed  into  that  of  Fellahin.  Their  story  formed 
a  parallel  to  that  of  the  villagers  of  Arabia.  These 
inhabitants  of  the  Kefr,  on  Mohammed  proclaiming 
Islam  from  the  towns  of  Mecca  and  Medina,  were 
at  first  refractory  to  the  new  faith,  with  the  result 
that  every  infidel  was  styled  an  agriculturist  or 
Kafir.  But  on  the  whole  nation  adopting  the 
Prophet's  teachings  the  term  of  opprobrium  was 
changed  to  that  of  cultivator, — they  became 
Fellahin,  a  word  based  on  the  verb  filh,  to 
cultivate. 

There  was  no  place  in  the  new  Israelitic  nation 
for  the  ambitious  Amorite  or  the  warlike  Hittite, 
and  the  only  wish  of  the  Perizzite  was  to  live  in 
peace  in  the  home  of  his  forefathers,  carrying  on 
traditions,  cementing  his  attachment  to  the  soil, 
sacrificing  in  the  Makam,  or  High-place,  or  Wely, 
going  to  every  green  tree, — in  short,  continuing 
the  old  forms  of  worship,  praying  to  the  presiding 
genius,  with  a  slight  change,  sometimes,  in  the 
name,  but  caring  little  whether  it  was  before  a 
statue  of  some  Baal  or  an  invisible  one  called 
Sidna  ^Ali  or  Sheikh  'Alem.  Invasions  swept 
over  towns,  the  Amorites  and  the  Jebusites 
disappeared,  but  the  poor  and  continually  robbed 
Perizzite  clung  fast  to  his  crumbling  ruins.  Like 
the  grey  lichens  on  the  old  stones,  he  remained 
attached  to  the  cradle  of  his  ancestors,  disdained 


6  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

by  the  proud  horseman,  who,  following  the  easier 
roads  of  the  valleys,  rarely  visited  the  almost 
inaccessible  and  barren  heights.  Submitting  out- 
wardly to  passing  lords  and  masters,  whose  very 
tongue  was  unknown  to  him,  the  Perizzite  remained 
faithful  about  the  hearth  and  in  the  smoke-filled 
low  rooms  of  his  ruined  home  to  the  ways  of  his 
forefathers.  We  find  the  former  niche  of  the  idol 
represented  by  the  Makam,  and  the  modern 
Fellah  *'  hears  the  voice "  as  distinctly  as 
Moses  or  Joshua  did,  and  "  puts  off  his  shoes 
from  off  his  feet,  for  the  place  whereon  he 
stands  is  holy  ground."  ^  Never  will  he  venture 
into  the  sanctuary  with  shoes  which  have  gathered 
dust  and  impurities  all  along  his  way.  Thus 
were  traditional  sites  and  ceremonies  handed  down, 
and  thus  are  we  able  to  study  the  immovable 
characteristics  of  the  Fellahin  of  Palestine, — char- 
acteristics which  may  perhaps  (who  can  say  ?) 
be  about  to  succumb  now,  as  the  overflowing 
populations  of  the  Occident  strive  to  fill  the 
uninhabited  corners  of  the  earth  and  overthrow 
traditions  which  have  resisted  foreign  influence 
for  thousands  of  years. 

II 

Legend  relates  that,  when  Islam  was  founded,  a 
man  had  four  sons  and  gave  to  each  of  them 
according   to   his   desire.     The   eldest   was   Abu 

^  Exodus  iii.  5. 


too 


^ 


A    TRUE    TRADITIONALIST  7 

Ehmad,  the  Fellah,  who  asked  for  a  cow  and  a 
plough,  and  became  the  father  of  the  Fellahin. 
Abu  Razek,  the  next,  asked  for  a  shop  and  became 
the  father  of  town  and  city  traders.  Abu  Othman, 
the  third,  received  a  horse  and  was  the  father  of 
the  intrepid  Ottoman  horsemen.  Abu  Swelem, 
the  last,  rode  off  on  a  camel  and  became  the 
chief  of  the  camel-possessing  Bedawin.  ^  Evidently 
Abu  Ehmad  is  the  most  ancient  inhabitant  of 
Palestine  and  has  held  to  traditions  much  more 
than  his  brothers  the  horsemen  and  traders.  A 
true  son  of  the  soil,  he  is  distrustful  of  outsiders 
and,  like  the  Harden,  retires  behind  his  crumbling 
ruins  at  the  approach  of  a  horseman.  The 
Jindy,  or  Gendarme,  is  never  the  bringer  of  good 
news.  He  looks  for  culprits,  announces  that 
taxes  are  to  be  gathered,  counts  the  heads  of  cattle 
and  sheep,  or  inquires  about  the  young  men  who 
are  fit  for  mihtary  service.  Abu  Ehmad,  though 
not  a  bit  revolutionary,  is  a  hater  of  innovations  ; 
his  only  wish  is  to  be  left  under  his  vine  and 
fig-tree  undisturbed,  as  in  the  days  when  there 
was  no  king  in  Israel.  He  cares  nothing  about 
immense  financial  speculations,  the  preparation 
of  formidable  arsenals  of  war,  the  sinking  of  mines, 
the  construction  of  factories  and  the  building  of 
houses  possessing  hygienic  conditions.  He  seeks 
neither  to   accumulate  incommensurable   wealth 

^  Quarterly  Statement  of    the    Palestine    Exploration    Fund, 
January,    1903. 


8  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

nor  to  obtain  even  a  modicum  of  comfort.  He  is 
ignorant  of  modern  astronomy  and  geology, 
history  and  geography,  zoology  and  microbiology, 
in  an  Occidental  sense.  But  he  is  sober  to  the 
extreme.  Never  does  he  use  wine  or  strong  drink, 
as  he  was  commanded  by  Jonadab  the  son  of 
Rechab.  ^  He  would  be  unable  to  understand 
if  you  told  him  that  millions  are  annually  expended 
in  the  Occident  at  cafes,  public-houses  and  saloons. 
A  single  tiny  cup  of  coffee  is  almost  luxury  to  him  ; 
his  everyday  meal  consists  of  a  simple  plate  of 
rice,  with  fresh  meat  and  a  few  vegetables  only  on 
rare  and  quite  extraordinary  occasions. 

The  steep,  rough  and  rocky  roads  have  been  the 
Fellah's  best  auxiliary  for  keeping  away  foreigners 
and  holding  ideas  in  check  for  centuries.  Watch  him 
as  he  drives  his  camels  up  and  down  these  terrible 
roads  and  you  will  no  longer  wonder  that  progress 
has  been  so  slow.  He  is  continually  reminding 
his  beasts  of  burden  not  to  stumble.  "  Ikhly  ! — 
Look  out,  mind  the  stones !  "  "  Allah ! — 
May  God  protect  thee  !  "  "  Mahlak  !— Slow 
up!"  "Ya  Hafed!— Oh  Guardian!"  and 
similar  exclamations  are  repeated  every  few  yards. 
But  the  roads — never  mended,  the  result  of 
centuries  of  footsteps  and  of  infinite  patience,  for 
does  not  the  Fellah  say  "  El  Ajjaly  min  esh- 
Shitan  ? — Allah  is  with  the  patient  and  hurry 
is  from  Satan  " — are  quite  as  good  as  he  desires. 

^  Jeremiah  xxxv.  6. 


ROUGH    ROADS  9 

They  are  full  of  convenient  holes,  made  by  genera- 
tion after  generation  of  animals,  and  which  prevent 
them  from  slipping.  The  camels,  with  their  soft 
feet  and  ever  mobile  head  and  eyes,  are  ever  on  the 
look  out  for  the  best  place  .to  step  into,  whilst 
donkeys  and  cattle  know  exactly  every  excavation 
or  protuberance  as  they  slowly  march  along. 
Besides,  these  rough  ways  serve  another  purpose. 
No  one  can  approach  the  villages  unawares.  For 
centuries  past  the  villagers  have  heard  the  strug- 
gUng  efforts  of  horsemen  as  they  drew  nearer, 
have  seen,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  the  sparks 
fly  from  the  rocks  when  struck  by  their  horses' 
shoes. 

Who  can  doubt  that  the  ancient  Perizzite  climbed 
these  hills  with  the  same  resignation  as  the  modern 
Fellah,  and  in  the  identical  costume  we  see  to-day  ? 
Who  can  doubt,  after  a  sufficiently  long  residence 
in  the  midst  of  the  Fellahat,  that  the  Perizzite 
women  thus  went  down,  with  gay  laughter,  to  the 
spring  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  carrying,  besides  the 
well-balanced  jar  on  the  head,  or  the  Kirby  on  the 
back,  the  family  clothes,  to  be  beaten  on  the  smooth 
stones  of  the  stream  and  rid  of  their  accumulation 
of  sweat,  fleas  and  smoke  ?  Did  not  the  ances- 
tresses of  this  Fellaha  girl  thus  lift  their  skirts 
to  the  knees  and  ask  permission  of  the  Water- 
genius  to  step  in  ?  Watch  her.  As  she  arrives 
at  the  edge  of  the  brook  she  at  once  drops  her 
bundle  of  clothes  and  the  Kirby  and  proceeds  to 


10  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

her  toilet.  After  knotting  her  long  sleeves  together 
and  throwing  them  behind  her  back,  leaving 
her  brown  and  well-proportioned  arms  bare  to 
above  the  elbows,  she  rubs  her  small  feet  and 
rounded  calves  vigorously  ;  then,  with  her  joined 
hollowed  hands  she  throws  the  fresh  water — her 
silver  and  glass  bracelets  tinkling  musically — 
into  her  weather-browned  face.  She  dries  herself 
with  her  long  veil,  and  when  this  is  done  begins, 
with  rhythmic  blows,  the  work  of  the  day.  By  the 
time  the  clothes  are  washed  and  rinsed  the  dry 
Kirby  is  soaked  through  and  through.  Dexter- 
ously, with  one  hand,  the  neck  is  opened,  and 
rapidly,  with  the  right  hollowed  hand,  water  is 
thrown  into  the  leather  bottle.  When  full,  a 
rope  is  attached  to  the  top  and  the  bottom,  and 
upon  her  back — like  a  soldier's  knapsack — it  is 
carried  home  to  quench  the  thirst  of  the 
household. 

Ill 

As  a  rule,  the  Fellahin  are  dark  brown,  black- 
haired  and  have  long,  broad  beards,  differing  in 
this  respect  from  the  Bedawin,  whose  beards  are 
scanty  and  adorn  the  chin  only.  Certainly,  in  a 
country  so  often  invaded  by  outsiders,  there  is  a 
tinge  of  foreign  blood.  Here  and  there,  and 
especially  near  big  centres,  you  may  be  surprised 
to  meet  fair  or  even  red-haired  individuals.  But 
the  principal  type  is  the  brown  one,  with  a  thick, 


PEASANT   COSTUMES  11 

hooked  nose,  a  round  head,  thick  Hps,  and  of 
medium  height,  about  Im.  65  cent.  The  men  have 
strong  bones,  broad  shoulders,  large  hands,  and 
are,  as  a  rule,  well  in  muscle, — neither  too  fat, 
nor  too  thin.  The  women  are  shghtly  smaller, 
with  elegant  bodies,  strong  hips,  good-sized  breasts, 
almost  small  feet  and  hands,  dark  eyes  and  long, 
thick  black  hair.  Fellahin  and  Fellahat  usually 
wear  a  plain  long  shirt  with  wide  sleeves  which 
reaches,  when  not  held  up  by  the  girdle,  to  the  feet. 
The  man's  Thob  is  usually  white,  the  woman's 
blue,  but  they  soon  undergo  a  change.  Water 
being  always  scarce  about  the  village,  white 
becomes  grey,  whilst  the  gaudy  blue  of  the  Thiab 
is  toned  down  by  the  sun  and  by  wear  and  tear 
among  thorns  and  briars.  The  women's  pic- 
turesque long  veil,  which  serves  so  many  purposes, 
such  as  the  carrying  home  of  provisions,  likewise 
quickly  loses  its  pristine  freshness  and  takes  on  the 
dominant  colour  of  this  grey  land.  When  out 
walking  or  at  his  work,  the  Fellah  pulls  up  his 
Thob  so  that  it  barely  reaches  his  knees.  But 
the  higher  he  approaches  in  rank  to  those  two 
important  officials  the  Sheikh  of  the  village  and 
the  Khateeb,  or  Priest,  the  lower  he  wears  his 
shirt.  In  the  case  of  the  women,  decency  obliges 
them,  whenever  men  approach  or  are  hkely  to  be 
near,  as  at  home,  to  lower  their  Thiab  to  the  feet. 
The  Fellahat  have  a  silken  or  woollen  girdle,  and 
this,  with  their  veil,  completes  their  full  dress. 


12  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Shoes   and   mantles,   jackets   and   fur-coats   are 
luxuries,  worn  only  on  rare  occasions. 

The  Fallah,  with  his  leather  girdle,  hairy  breast 
and  arms,  is  the  exact  portrait  of  Elijah  the  Tish- 
bite,  who  was  "  a  hairy  man  and  girt  with  a  girdle 
of  leather  about  his  loins."  ^  This  girdle  is  the 
most  important  item  of  his  dress.  Though  his 
bodily  wants  may  be  few,  he  requires  a  large 
number  of  articles  ever  to  hand,  hence  the  girdle 
serves  the  purpose  of  an  indispensable  store-room. 
Upon  it  are  suspended  chains,  hooks,  pouches  and 
horns,  to  hold  knives,  daggers,  clubs,  powder  and 
shot,  flint  and  steel,  tinder,  packneedles  and 
thread,  pipes,  tobacco  and  cigarette  papers,  razors 
and  combs,  handkerchiefs  and  documents.  A  man 
without  his  girdle  was  always  considered  in  the 
East  to  be  in  a  position  of  inferiority  :  very 
much  as  an  Occidental  would  be  in  his  night-gown. 
The  command  "  gird  up  thy  loins  "  ^  meant — 
be  ready  for  an  emergency,  and  the  Israelites  were 
ordered  "  to  eat  with  their  loins  girded,  shoes  on 
feet  and  staff  in  hand."  ^  Without  his  girdle,  a 
man  was  unprepared  either  for  war  or  for  journey- 
ing. Of  late  the  broad  girdle  of  the  FeUahin 
has  been  diminished,  but  it  is  still  to  be  seen  in 
many  out-of-the-way  places.* 

»  I.  Kings  i.  8.      2  n.  Kings  iv.  29.      ^  Exodus  xii.   11.  ♦ 

*  The  history  of  the  girdle  in  the  East  contains  some  very 

curious  facts.     One  of  them  is  worth  mentioning.     To  distinguish 

the   Mohammedans  from   Christians   and   Jews,    the   cruel   and 

despotic  Caliph  Motawakkil  of  the  'Abbasids  proclaimed  a  law 


■iTWrflS  a,- 


<. 


u 


^ 

^ 


CHRETIENS    DE    LA   SAINCTURE      13 

Surrounding  the  Fellah's  head  and  wound  round 
his  red  Tarbush  is  a  large  grey  and  yellow  turban. 
The  women  have  a  long,  flowing  picturesque  head- 
dress called  a  Khirkah,  which  falls  over  the  shoulders 
and  to  the  waist,  like  a  shawl^  and  is  often  trimmed 
with  plain  or  coloured  tassels.  Shoes  are  worn 
by  the  Fellahat  only  when  on  a  journey,  never  in 
the  village,  and  even  when  abroad  they  are  care- 
fully kept  in  the  bosom-pouch  to  prevent  them 
being  soiled  and  disfigured.  This  pouch  is  also 
used  as  a  receptacle  for  food  when  they  are  out 
at  their  work,  and  for  other  necessary  things. 
Whilst  visiting  or  on  their  way  to  towns,  the  women 
keep  their  Thiab  decently  tied  round  the  body 
They  carry  their  packages  either  on  their  heads 
or  wrapped  in  the  long  sleeves  of  their  gowns,  the 


in  235  A.H.  (349  a.d.)  that  non-believers  should  wear  a  broad 
leather  girdle,  Zennar,  and  never  be  allowed  to  loosen  it.  They 
were  further  to  be  distinguished  from  the  faithful  by  their  black 
turbans  and  shoes.  This  Girdle  Law  led,  in  later  years,  to  a 
strange  error.  The  old  French  appellation  for  the  Christians  of 
the  Holy  Land — "  Les  Chretiens  de  la  Saincture  " — was  trans- 
lated by  modern  writers  "  Christians  of  the  Girdle,"  saincture 
being  confounded  wdth  ceinture.  When  Baron  d'Anglure  visited 
Palestine  in  1395  (see  Sainct  voyage  de  Jherusaleni,  p.  99)  he 
wrote  in  reference  to  the  Holy  Sepulchre  :  "  Au  dehors  d'icelle 
saincte  eglise,  devant  le  portail,  autour  de  la  dicte  place  a  quatre 
chappelles,  la  premiere  est  de  Nostre-Dame,  I'autre  de  Saint 
Jehan  d'Euvangeliste,  la  tierce  de  Marie  Magdelaine  et  la  quatre 
de  St  Michel  et  sont  gouvernees  icelles  chappelles  par  Grecz 
(Greeks)  et  par  Hermins  (Armenians)  et  par  Chretiens  de  la 
Saincture  (Latins)  et  si  y  a  Chretiens  de  la  terre  preste  Jehan 
(Abyssinia)."  During  the  "  great  blank  " — that  is,  betu'een  the 
fourteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries — Palestine  was  almost  for- 
gotten and  the  French  language  having  changed,  Saincture 
became    Terre  Sainte. 

3— (2131) 


14  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

points  being  knotted  or  held  in  the  hand  and  the 
packet  below  the  arm  and  the  elbow. 

The  Schmaar  is  an  item  of  the  Fellah's  dress 
which  calls  for  explanation.  It  is  a  cord,  sometimes 
ornamented  with  tassels  but  more  often  quite 
simple,  and,  worn  cross-ways  behind  the  shoul- 
ders, is  used  for  keeping  the  men's  sleeves  tucked 
out  of  their  way,  for  these,  though  wide,  cannot 
be  knotted  together  and  thrown  behind  their 
backs.  1 

A  brown  and  greyish  striped  sleeveless  mantle, 
the  "  Abba,"  completes  the  full  dress  of  the  men 
when  in  society.  It  is  impermeable  to  rain, — 
*'  his  only  covering  wherein  he  shaU  sleep,"  as  we 
read  in  Exodus,  ^  where,  in  Hebrew,  it  is  called 
Shalmat,  evidently  the  black  Bedawin  Shalat. 
This  cloak  is  the  Fellah's  most  indispensable 
article  of  dress  at  night,  for  when  away  from  home 
he  knows  not  where  he  may  be  able  to  find  a  lodg- 
ing and  may  very  likely  be  obliged  to  sleep  upon 

1  The  Schmaar,  which  was  always  part  of  the  Fellahin's  cos- 
tume, is  mentioned  as  early  as  the  days  of  the  sons  of  Jacob. 
When  Judah  met  a  Kaddishah,  or  consecrated  woman,  and  had 
no  ready  money  with  which  to  pay  for  her  services,  she  asked, 
as  an  arboun,  or  pledge,  for  his  fateel  (the  woven  schmaar),  called 
in  the  Authorised  Version  "  bracelets  "  but  correctly  rendered 
"  cord  "  in  the  Revised  Version  ;  his  staff  and  his  signet  (see 
Genesis  xxxviii.  18) — three  objects  of  essential  value  to-  the 
owner.  The  Schmaar  was  a  keepsake  woven  by  an  admirer  ; 
the  signet  was  necessary  for  the  sealing  of  documents,  as  the 
owner  was  too  illiterate  to  sign  his  name  ;  and  the  staff,  an  old 
friend  and  supporter,  was  perhaps  used  as  a  talisman  against 
serpents, — a  Mehjane,  the  hooked  almond  stick. 

2  xxii.  27. 


FELLAHIN    HOSPITALITY  15 

the  ground,  like  Jacob,  "  with  a  stone  for  pillow."  ^ 
The  women  have  short  red  mantles,  called  Bisht, 
but  generally  known  as  "  Abba  "  ;  they  barely 
reach  to  the  knees  and  are  rarely  used  except  by 
the  Fellahat  around  Jerusalem,  Siloam,  the  Mount 
of  Olives  and  Bethany,  who  daily  come  to  market 
to  sell  their  agricultural  produce.  Out  of  these 
places  not  one  woman  in  ten  possesses  them. 

Though  naturally  polite  and  proverbially  hos- 
pitable, the  Fellahin  do  not  extend  these  good 
quahties  beyond  people  of  their  own  creed  or  tribe. 
As  a  rule,  non-Moslems  and  non-Arabs  are  held 
at  arm's  length.  Christian  Fellahin,  possessing 
the  same  customs  and  laws  of  hospitality,  enjoy 
the  same  in  a  Moslem  village  but  foreigners — so 
often  arrogant — have  nothing  to  look  for  among 
the  humble  and  simple  country-folk.  The  women, 
exactly  resembling  Rachel  and  Rebecca,  will 
offer  a  drink  to  wayfarers  of  the  Arabic  tongue 
but  will  keep  at  a  distance  from  and  look  with  dis- 
trust on  the  (to  them)  indecent  clothing  and  hats  of 
Occidentals,  who  pass  by  in  disdainful  attitudes, 
speaking  a  foreign  language  and  displaying  none 
of  the  beloved  home-notes  and  manners.  These 
strangers — people  who  claim  that  the  land  has 
changed,  that  the  sweet  singer  of  Israel  no  longer 
fills  the  air  with  his  music,  forget  that  nothing  has 
altered,  that  they  alone  are  foreigners  who  under- 
stand no  word  of  Oriental  sentimentalism,  and  who 

^  Genesis  xxviii.   11. 


16  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

come  to  teach  the  people  their  own  history  in 
distorted  lessons.  Provided  you  are  one  in  beUef 
or  in  language  with  a  Fellah^  I  know  of  no  one  who 
could  be  more  hospitable.  Though  his  house  be 
in  ruins,  he  receives  his  guests  with  as  much  vanity 
and  satisfaction  as  a  Croesus  living  in  a  marble 
palace  would,  and  treats  them  as  generously  as 
if  he  were  the  richest  man  in  the  place,  even  though 
he  may  have  to  go  to  his  neighbour  to  borrow  rice, 
a  lamb  or  a  goat,  butter  and  coffee. 

IV 

But  let  us  now  turn  to  the  second  of  our  grey 
trio  :  the  ruins  of  Palestine.  ^     The  entire  country 

1  With  these  ruins  of  "  fenced  cities,"  lying  in  "  ruinous  heaps  " 
(II.  Kings  xix.  25)  may  be  grouped  the  heaps  of  stones  which  the 
traveller  is  ever  encountering.  These  mark  places  where  men 
have  been  killed,  and  are  placed  there  with  the  idea  of  preventing 
the  ghosts  of  the  departed  from  appearing  and  frightening  the 
passers-by  :  a  relic  of  the  stoning  of  the  condemned  referred  to 
in  the  words  "  the  people  of  the  land  shall  stone  him  with  stones  " 
(Leviticus  xx.  2).  Do  we  not  read,  too,  that  when  the  King  of 
Ai  was  dead  he  was  taken  down  before  evening,  his  carcass  was 
thrown  at  the  entrance  to  the  city,  and  a  great  heap  of  stones  was 
raised  over  it,  "  that  remaineth  unto  this  day  "  ?  (Joshua  viii. 
29).  At  the  last  execution  I  saw  in  Palestine,  near  the  Jaffa  Gate, 
in  1869,  many  of  the  spectators  threw  stones  at  the  beheaded  body, 
which  was  later  carried  away  to  be  buried  by  night.  The  pil- 
grims of  Arafat,  near  Mecca,  stone  Satan  for  his  disobedience 
and  he  is  often  termed  Esh-Shitan  er-Rajeem.  But  heaps  of 
stones  accumulated  under  these  and  similar  circumstances  must 
not  be  confused  with  the  witness  stones  which  are  heaped  up  in 
honour  of  a  saint.  These  are  set  up  stone  by  stone  by  pious 
believers  when,  at  a  distance,  they  first  perceive  a  shrine.  "  Stone, 
I  witness  with  you  to-day,  and  witness  with  me  on  judgment 
day,"  says  the  traveller,  as  he  places  his  stone  in  position.  There 
are  heaps  of  these  witness  stones  in  Bethel  and  between  Laban  and 
Jacob. 


RUINED    CITIES  17 

is  scattered  with  them  ; — there  are  certainly  five 
or  six  desolated  sites  for  every  one  that  is  inhabited. 
A  curse  is  thought  to  adhere  to  old  ruins,  and  the 
Bibhcal  "  cursed  is  the  man  before  Jehovah  that 
riseth  up  and  buildeth  this  city  Jericho,"  ^  if  not 
regarded  as  law,  has  been  carried  into  effect.  All 
through  the  pages  of  the  Bible  do  we  find  references 
to  this  characteristic  feature  of  the  Holy  Land. 
Prophets  threatened  that  ruins  should  be  mul- 
tiplied, ^  or  promised,  if  the  people  turned  away 
from  their  abominations,  that  they  should  be 
raised  up.  ^  The  Cities  of  the  Plain,  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah,  Adama  and  Zeboim,  disappeared  in 
the  well-known  catastrophe.  Zoar  alone  remained, 
but  later  that  town  also  was  swept  away.  Masada, 
the  last  fortress  of  the  Jewish  nations,  is  now  in 
ruins.  Likewise,  on  Engiddy,  the  older  Hazazon- 
Tamar,  being  abandoned,  the  inhabitants  with- 
drew to  build  Beth-Tamar,  Beth-Sahur  and  Ebn- 
Obeid,  which  in  their  turn  were  deserted  by  the 
people,  who  are  still  wandering  about,  wearing, 
though  they  are  half  Bedawin,  the  Fallahin  turban 
and  cloak.*  Tekoa  has  also  become  a  great  heap 
of  ruins  and  the  desert's  sole  inhabitants  are  now 
many  species  of  lizards,^  including  the  Waran 
(Psammosaurus  scincus),  the  Thab  or  Mastiguer 

^  Joshua  vi.  26.         ^  Ezekiel  xxi.   15.  ^  Amos  ix.  11. 

*  There  are  three  tribes  of  these  agricultural  nomads  :  the 
Ta'amry,  the  Sawahry  and  the  Obeidiye. 

^  Canon  Tristram,  the  author  of  The  Fauna  and  Flora  of 
Palestine,  captured  at  least  ten  species. 


18  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

(Uromastix  spinipes),  and  our  old  friend  the  Harden 
whose  hfe  history  we  have  yet  to  consider. 

V 

The  Stellio  cordylina  Uzard  hves,  as  I  have  said, 
about  the  home  of  the  Fellahin  and  seeks  security 
in  any  convenient  hole  which  may  present  itself 
in  the  rough-built,  unplastered  walls.  But  he 
avoids  the  front  part  of  the  house  and  never 
on  any  account  ventures  inside,  like  his  cousin  the 
Gecko  (Ptyodactylus  hasselquisti) .  Abu  Braise — 
the  familiar  appellation  under  which  the  latter  is 
known  to  the  Fellahin — rids  the  dwelling  of  gnats, 
flies  and  mosquitoes.  He  is  believed,  as  this  name 
indicates,  to  engender  leprosy, — a  belief  the  origin 
of  which  is  almost  as  old  as  his  very  existence, 
since  it  arises  from  his  colour  and  protuberances, 
which,  in  fact,  resemble  the  effects  of  that  disease.  ^ 
Nor  is  this  the  only  injustice  which  is  done  Master 
Gecko  ;  the  beautiful,  useful  little  fellow  is  also 
accused  of  having  indicated  to  Mohammed's 
persecutors  the  prophet's  hiding-place  at  the 
Hejra  (Anglice  Hegira),  by  calling  out  :  "  Shick  ! 

^  The  ancient  lawgivers,  who  were  probably  responsible  for 
this  belief,  fell  into  error  in  almost  all  their  observations  concern- 
ing the  minor  animals  and  the  causes  of  disease.  For  instance, 
they  confused  the  appearance  of  saltpetre  on  the  damp  walls 
of  houses  with  leprosy.  See  Leviticus  xiv.  37  :  "  And  he 
shall  look  on  the  plague,  and,  behold,  if  the  plague  be  in  the  walls 
of  the  house  with  hollow  strakes,  greenish  or  reddish,  which  in 
sight  are  lower  than  the  wall  ;  then  ..."  This  superstition 
and  the  belief  concerning  the  Gecko  are  as  firm  as  ever  in  the 
country  districts  of  Palestine. 


SUPERSTITIOUS    TALES  19 

wan-Nabi  fish  shick  !  "  ("  Geek  !  the  Prophet 
is  in  the  cleft  !  ")  Similarly,  two  acts  of 
treachery  are  laid  at  the  door  of  the  Hardon. 
He  is  said  to  have  nodded  his  head  above 
the  same  cleft,  to  indicate  that  it  was  true 
the  prophet  was  there,  because  the  entrance  to 
the  opening  in  the  rock  was  obstructed  by  a 
spider's  web  and  two  turtle-dove's  eggs.  But  the 
persecutors,  not  believing  either  traitor,  passed  on. 
The  Hardon  is  likewise  accused  of  having  carried 
wood  to  Jebel  'Arafat  when  the  accursed  mule 
was  already  loaded  to  go  and  burn  the  Angel 
Gabriel.  ^  In  consequence  of  these  superstitious 
tales,  whoever  kiUs  a  Hardon  or  a  Gecko  with  his 
right  hand  is  said  to  receive  a  reward  in  heaven, 
and  the  more  Geckos  or  Haradin  he  puts  to  death 
the  more  numerous  will  be  his  recompenses.  For- 
tunately the  Fellahin  are  too  busy  or  too  fatahstic 
to  attempt  to  destroy  a  single  one,  and  thus 
large  quantities  of  flies,  beetles,  wasps,  field-bugs 
and  ants,  which  would  become  a  veritable  plague 

^  Many  other  legends  are  related  concerning  the  Hardon, 
which  is  regarded  by  the  natives  of  Palestine  as  a  thinking  being. 
A  Fellah  once  told  me  the  following  story.  One  day,  a  serpent, 
accustomed,  like  her  congeners,  to  feed  on  Haradin,  rushed  upon  a 
Hardon.  But  the  sly  fellow,  quicker  than  she  was,  promptly 
seized  upon  a  piece  of  wood,  which  he  presented  crosswise  in  his 
mouth  to  the  snake.  Whichever  way  she  turned,  the  Hard6n 
turned  his  head  with  the  stick,  thus  preventing  her  from  getting 
hold.  At  last  the  serpent,  completely  baffled,  abandoned  him. — 
Serpents  are  exceedingly  fond  of  Haradin.  I  have  myself  cut 
open  a  Zamenis  vindiflavus  and  rescued  one  of  them — a  miniature 
Jonah — after  it  had  spent  perhaps  three  hours  in  the  reptile's 
stomach. 


20  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

to  agriculture  if  left  unchecked^  are  removed  from 
the  land.  Nevertheless,  the  Hardon,  as  though 
conscious  of  the  alleged  crime  of  one  of  his  ances- 
tors, runs  fast  on  the  approach  of  man  and  hides 
either  in  the  cracked  bole  of  an  olive-tree  or  in  his 
impregnable  hole  in  a  wall.  His  name  means 
Withdrawer  or  Sly  Fellow,  and  having  got  a  bad 
reputation  he  feels  that  he  has  no  time  to  wait 
and  hear  who  is  right  or  wrong  ; — concluding  that 
the  judge  will  surely  be  on  man's  side,  he  promptly 
slips  out  of  the  way. 

The  male  Hardon  is  slightly  darker  than  the 
female  and  generally  stronger  ;  his  thick  tail  is 
more  spiny  and  his  triangular  head  much  larger. 
He  wags  his  head  periodically,  but  only  when  he 
feels  in  safety  and  is  basking  in  the  bright  sunshine 
on  the  top  of  a  stone.  Sometimes  he  draws  him- 
self up  like  a  sentinel  and,  seeming  to  say,  ^'  Here  I 
am  !  Come  along.  Look  out  !  Man  is  coming  !  " 
appears  to  be  attracting  the  female's  attention. 
For  Haradin  always  live  in  pairs.  And  when  the 
male  thus  walks  high  on  his  four  legs  the  female 
can  pass  below  him. 

In  June  the  female  digs  a  hole  about  six  inches 
deep  in  the  dry,  loose  earth  and  lays  from  eight  to 
ten  yellowish  eggs,  about  two  centimetres  long 
and  with  a  semi-rigid  membrane.  Each  is 
deposited  separately  and  covered  with  warm 
earth,  after  which  they  are  left  to  hatch  in  the  sun. 
The  young  Haradin  (about  four  centimetres  in 


GROWTH    OF   THE    HARDON  21 

length  when  born)  crawl  out  some  two  months 
later  and  immediately  begin  to  fight  life's  battles 
for  themselves  by  picking  up  ants  and  minor 
insects.^  In  view  of  their  three  to  four  months 
hibernation  in  the  holes  of  ruins  or  olive  trees, 
they  store  up,  under  their  thick  skin,  a  layer  of 
fat.  At  one  year  of  age  they  are  about  ten  cen- 
timetres long,  by  the  second  year  they  may  be 
nearly  twenty,  and  at  the  end  of  the  third  year 
they  attain  their  full  growth,  or  nearly  so, — a 
length  of  thirty  centimetres.  By  this  time  the 
Hardon  has  chosen  a  home  of  his  own  and,  taken 
up  with  matrimonial  duties,  rarely,  as  far  as  I 
have  been  able  to  observe,  abandons  it. 

Near  Solomon's  Pools  is  a  mountain  where 
Haradin  thrive  so  well  that  it  has  come  to  be  known 
as  Abu-1-Haradin.  That  these  reptiles  have  been 
a  feature  of  Palestine  since  times  immemorial 
is  undoubted.  But  how  is  it,  then,  that  they 
escaped  the  notice  of  the  Fellahin  prophets, 
especially  Micah,  who  lived  in  a  Hardon  district  ? 
The  fault  is  probably  not  with  Micah  but  with 
his  translators.  The  prophet,  referring  to  the 
fleeing    of  the    enemy,   says,    according    to   the 

^  They  are  also  particularly  fond  of  bees,  and  for  that  reason 
always  abound  near  apiaries.  They  can  sometimes  be  surprised 
in  the  act  of  standing  in  front  of  the  fiy-holes  of  the  hives  catching 
drones  and  workers.  In  the  latter  case  they  allow  the  bees  to 
sting  them  about  the  jaws,  so  that  the  poison  sack  and  its  con- 
tents may  remain  in  the  wound  and  the  bees  be  swallowed  without 
venom.  I  have  seen  Haradin  with  a  dozen  or  more  stings  on 
their  powerful  jaws.  Though  comparatively  small,  their  teeth 
are  strong  enough  to  draw  blood  should  they  bite  your  finger. 


22  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Authorised  Version  :  "  They  shall  lick  the  dust  like  a 
serpent,  they  shall  move  out  of  their  holes  like 
worms  of  the  earth/'  ^  But  the  Hebrew  text  is 
clearer :  "  Yelhaku  'afr  kanahsch,  kazahli  arz 
yergazu  mi  massgarathihim,"  which^  translated 
into  Arabic,  would  read :  "  Yelhasu  *afr  kal- 
hanash,  kasahali  (or  Haradin)  el  ard,  yergathu 
min  khuzuk  il  mussagerath/' — that  is:  "As  a 
serpent  they  lick  the  dust,  and  as  a  lizard  of  the 
earth,  they  dance  or  run  from  their  hiding-places." 
Like  many  reptiles,  the  Hardon,  for  protective 
purposes,  has  the  power  of  slightly  changing  his 
colour.  He  is  very  dark  when  about  the  stems  of 
oUve-trees,  grey  when  lying  on  rocks  or  ruins, 
and  shghtly  greyer  when  near  the  ashes  of  the 
Tabon,  or  oven,  where,  on  account  of  the  warmth 
in  winter  and  the  insects  in  summer,  he  delights 
to  recline,  and  where  you  may  hear  the  pitiless 
Fellahin  children  singing  to  him  : — 

"  Salli  sallatak  ya  Hardon 
Immak  mattat  fi — ^tabon."  '^ 

1  Micah  vii,   17.     The  Revised    Version   says    "like  crawling 
things  of  the  earth." 

2  "  Pray  your  prayer,  oh  Harddn, 
Your  mother  died  in  the  oven." 


II 

IN    THE    BEDAWIN    COUNTRY 

I 

The  high  plateau  of  Moab,  in  Eastern  Palestine, 
the  maritime  plains  of  Sharon,  in  the  west,  the 
central  plains  of  Esdraelon  and  Jezreel,  or  the 
extremely  fertile  plains  of  Shittim,  in  the  deep 
depression  formed  by  the  Jordan  valley,  may 
be  called  inexhaustible  graineries.  Year  after 
year,  without  any  artificial  manuring,  crops  are 
raised,  and  as  soon  as  the  harvest  is  over  thousands 
of  animals  are  turned  into  the  fenceless  fields  to 
pasture  on  the  stubble — often  over  a  foot  high — 
which  the  reapers  have  left.  These  droves  of 
camels,  herds  of  fat-tailed  sheep,  or  black  goats 
with  ears  so  long  that  they  often  reach  the  ground, 
all  delight  in  the  food  they  find,  and,  whilst 
roaming  about  day  after  day  for  many  months 
yearly,  manure  the  land  naturally. 

With  the  exception  of  northern  Sharon,  Esdrael- 
on and  Jezreel,  the  southern,  central  and  eastern 
lands  belong  to  the  wandering  Arabs,  who  prefer  to 
go  on  Ghazu^  rather  than  cultivate  their  lands, 
which,  owned  by  the  whole  tribe,  are  rented  to 
the  more  diligent  Fellahin,  on  condition  of  yielding 
a  portion  of  the  produce  to  the  owners.     Indeed, 

^  Marauding  excursions. 

23 


24  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

the  haughty  Bedawi  considers  it  a  dishonour  to 
leave  his  camels  or  horses  and  take  to  the  plough 
or  the  sickle,  and  with  pride  he  sings  : — 

"  II  khail  lal  bela 
II  ebal  lal  khala 
Wal  baggar 
Lal  fuggur."  ^ 

He  is  always  on  the  look-out  for  some  "  Fellah- 
el-Hitr,"  ^  willing  to  take  his  share  of  land,  and, 
since  he  is  often  in  need  of  ready  money,  to  advance 
him  on  interest  a  few  hundred  Majidis.  ^  Then  he 
is  free  to  jump  on  to  his  fine  mare  and  follow  his 
chief  on  one  of  the  numerous  expeditions,  more  or 
less  legitimate,  which  form  so  great  a  part  of  his 
free,  picturesque  life. 

UnUke  these  fertile  spots  of  Palestine,  the  dry 
mountains  of  Judaea,  where  my  father  owned  land, 
give  but  a  poor  return  of  wheat  and  barley.  Con- 
sequently the  Fellahin  of  the  villages  often  turn 
their  thoughts  and  footsteps  to  the  haunts  of  the 
Bedawin.  In  doing  so  they  are  but  imitating 
their  ancestors.  The  children  of  Jacob  departed 
to  Egypt  because  the  mountains  gave  no  more 
grain,  Abraham  and  Isaac  travelled  to  the  south- 
ern plains  of  Beersheba  and  Sharon, — Jacob  and 
his   children    to    Dothan,    towards   Esdraelon, — 

1  The  horses  are  for  trial  (in  war) 
The  camels  are  for  excursions  (or  the  desert) 
But  the  cows 
Are  for  the  poor. 

*  Unfortunate  Fellah,  obliged  to  work. 
'  A  Majidi  is  equivalent  to  about  3s.  6d. 


ON    JORDAN'S    BANKS  25 

and  the  father  and  mother-in-law  of  Ruth  to  Moab 
because  there  was  famine  in  Bethlehem. 

One  day,  when  I  was  still  in  my  youth,  one 
of  my  father's  Fellah-partners,  Saleh  el-Kaak, 
announced  his  intention  of  trying  his  luck  on  the 
plains  of  Jordan.  He  had  come  into  relations  with 
a  high-born  Bedawi  of  the  tribe  of  the  Aduan, 
Imhammad  el-Talak,  who,  as  a  fully-equipped 
horseman  of  Sheikh  Ali  el-Thiab,  was  obliged  to 
follow  his  liege  lord  wherever  he  was  led,  and  the 
two  men  having  come  to  the  usual  financial  arrange- 
ment the  departure  was  fixed  for  the  month  of 
November.  My  father,  anxious  to  know  more 
about  the  country  and  its  resources,  but  unable  to 
leave  home,  delegated  me  to  accompany  Saleh  el- 
Kaak  and  assist  at  the  ploughing  and  the  sowing. 
When  this  work,  which  took  only  a  few  weeks, 
was  over,  I  turned  my  face  homewards,  but 
with  the  intention  of  returning  for  the  harvest 
when  the  Jordan  permitted.  There  were  no 
bridges  over  the  famous  river  in  those  days,  and 
even  had  there  been  any  they  would  have  been 
of  no  avail  in  early  spring,  as  the  river  bed  lies 
very  low  in  a  broader  bed,  covered  with  thickets, 
and  when  the  snows  melt  on  Mount  Hermon,  in 
Lebanon,  the  stream  is  sometimes  miles  in  breadth. 
It  would  have  been  folly  to  attempt  a  crossing 
"  when  Jordan  overflowed  all  its  banks."  ^ 

It   was   not   until   May,   when   the   river   was 

1  Joshua  iii,   15. 


26  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

reported  to  be  in  a  normal  condition  again,  that 
Saleh  el-Kaakj  his  two  sons,  his  numerous  relatives, 
and  myself  set  off  on  our  journey.  We  travelled 
in  caravans,  it  being  unsafe  in  those  days  to  travel 
in  small  groups,  owing  to  the  ever-lurking  Bedawin, 
only  too  ready  to  pounce  upon  and  rob  the  weak 
and  unsuspecting  wayfarer.  Our  own  caravan 
was  composed  of  men  and  women,  with  a  number 
of  animals,  from  Siloam.  We  started  before 
midnight  and  by  morning  approached  the 
treacherous  river  with  apprehension. 

All  chattering  ceased  when  the  crossing  of  the 
Jordan  began  ;  out  on  the  grey  waters  everyone 
looked  serious.  Whirlpool  and  rapids  were 
encountered  at  every  yard,  now  rushing  swiftly 
down  in  the  centre  of  the  stream,  now  dashing 
against  the  banks  and  hollowing  them  out.  There 
was  not  a  living  being  who  did  not  reflect  on  the 
possibility  of  never  reaching  the  opposite  shore 
alive,  for  all  knew  that  every  crossing  of  the 
Jordan  was  fatal  to  one  or  other  of  the  animals 
and  sometimes  to  men  and  women.  At  times 
the  dashing  waters  would  so  excavate  the  land 
that  one  of  the  marly  hills,  ^  with  a  mighty  splash, 

1  According  to  a  manuscript  of  Nowairi,  the  Arab  historian, 
translated  by  Professor  Clermont-Ganneau  for  the  Quarterly 
Statement  of  the  Palestine  Exploration  Fund  of  July,  1895,  the 
chronicler  relates  a  similar  occurence.  In  the  month  of  Jumad 
the  First,  in  the  year  664  (a.d.  1266),  the  Sultan  Beybars  "  issued 
orders  for  the  building  of  a  bridge  over  the  Jordan.  .  .  .  The 
bridge  is  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Damieh.  .  .  .  The  Sultan 
charged  the  Emir  Jamel  ed  Din  Ibn  Nahar  with  the  erection  of  the 


CROSSING    THE    RIVER  27 

would  topple  into  the  stream,  churning  it  into 
foam  and  increasing  the  anguish  in  everyone's 
breast,  though  all  tried  to  conceal  their  emotion. 
Nothing  was  more  revelatory  than  the  manner  in 
which  various  people  faced  the  danger.  The 
Moslems  stepped  into  the  water  with  a  "  Bism 
illah  "  ;  the  Christians  signed  themselves  with  the 
cross.  All  drew  near  quietly,  muttering  prayers  ; 
jokes  were  forgotten,  merry  faces  became  grave; 
and  not  until  the  whole  caravan  was  over  could 
joyous  laughter  be  heard  once  more. 

There  are  very  few  swimmers  among  the 
Siloam  Fellahin,  so  that  most  of  them  had  to 
depend  on  their  Bedawin  partner  to  take  them 
across.     Our   own   swimming   ford   was   fifty   to 

bridge,  and  commanded  it  to  be  made  with  five  arches.  .  .  . 
When  the  work  was  completed  and  the  workmen  dispersed, 
part  of  the  piers  gave  way.  The  Sultan  was  greatly  annoyed, 
reprimanded  the  builders  and  sent  them  back  to  repair  the 
damage.  They  found  the  task  very  difi&cult,  owing  to  the 
rising  of  the  waters  and  the  strength  of  the  current.  But  on 
the  night  preceding  the  dawn  of  the  17th  of  the  month  of  Rabce, 
the  First  of  the  year  666  (December  8th,  1267),  the  waters  of 
the  river  ceased  to  flow,  so  that  none  remained  in  its  bed.  The 
people  hurried  .  .  .  and  seized  the  opportunity  offered  by  the 
occurrence  to  remedy  the  defects  in  the  piers,  and  to  strengthen 
them.  .  .  .  They  then  despatched  mounted  men  to  ascertain 
the  nature  of  the  event.  The  riders  urged  forward  their  horses 
and  found  that  a  lofty  mound  (Kabar),  which  overlooked  the 
river  on  the  west,  had  fallen  into  it  and  dammed  it  up.  .  .  .  The 
messengers  returned  with  this  explanation,  and  the  water  was 
arrested  from  midnight  until  the  fourth  hour  of  the  day.  Then 
the  pressure  of  the  water  became  too  great  and  the  dam  burst. 
The  water  rushed  down  in  a  mass  equal  in  depth  to  the  length 
of  a  lance,  but  made  no  impression  upon  the  building,  owing  to 
the  strength  given  it.  The  stream,  however,  carried  away  the 
apparatus  used  in  the  work  of  repairs.  This  is  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  of  events,  and  the  bridge  is  in  existence  to  this  day." 


28  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

sixty  yards  broad,  and  as  the  trees  and  rushes  had 
often  been  cut  down  level  with  the  water,  these, 
to  begin  with,  cut  the  soles  of  our  feet  like  knives. 
It  was  like  a  visit  to  the  dentist's  :  no  one  was  in 
a  hurry  to  go  first, — everyone  wished  to  see  the 
effect  of  the  crossing  on  him  or  her  before  venturing 
into  the  yellow  water.  Being  a  good  swimmer,  I 
crossed  with  numbers  of  Bedawiyat  and  Fellahat, 
with  inflated  Kirbies^  on  their  backs.  All 
entered  the  water  fully  dressed,  the  most  passive 
and  composed  set  of  people  I  have  ever  seen. 
Fully  confident  in  the  strength  of  my  young  arms, 
these  women  let  themselves  be  dragged  along  with- 
out a  murmur,  whereas  all  the  men,  without 
exception,  showed  signs  of  anguish  or  terror,  as 
though  on  their  way  to  execution.  A  woman  of 
Palestine,  again,  will  allow  herself  to  be  bound 
fast  at  the  arm,  and  will  keep  at  four  or  five  yards 
distance  from  a  swimmer,  but  a  man,  when  the 
waters  of  the  river  seem  to  be  dragging  with  too 
great  a  force,  will  always  approach  and  try  to 
save  himself  by  taking  hold. 

1  The  Kirby  is  a  water-bottle  made  of  the  skins  of  sheep  or 
goats,  tanned  and  sewn  together.  The  neck  is  open  to  receive 
water.  When  full  and  securely  tied  up,  it  is  carried  on  a  woman's 
back  ;  or,  if  there  are  two  Kirbies,  on  a  donkey,  one  on  either 
side  of  the  animal.  Inflated  and  bound  to  the  back,  these  recep- 
tacles make  excellent  buoys  for  a  non-swimmer.  He  or  she 
having  been  provided  with  a  couple  of  inflated  Kirbies  and  bound, 
the  swimmer  takes  the  other  end  of  the  cord  in  his  mouth,  thus 
leaving  his  arms  perfectly  free.  Animals  are  bound  at  the  lower 
jaw  and  follow  easily,  as  they  cannot  resist  the  slightest  pressure 
on  the  jaws  or  tongue. 


"DOG    OF    A    CHRISTIAN"  29 

As  I  was  the  only  swimmer  in  my  group,  the 
difficult  task  of  carrying  over  the  saddles  and 
luggage,  when  the  donkeys,  camels  and  my  mare 
had  crossed,  was  left  to  me.  I  had  all  the  Kirbies 
inflated  and  tied  together,  in  sets  of  seven  or 
eight,  and  on  this  original  raft  managed  to  get  all 
our  belongings  across. 

Each  group  was  in  the  same  predicament  : 
there  was  but  one  swimmer,  and  he  had  to  cross  a 
dozen  or  more  times — a  good  four  hours'  work. 
These  duties  were  renewed  every  second  day,  for 
the  grain — poured  into  the  Kirbies  and  on  a  raft 
of  inflated  water-bottles — had  to  be  got  over. 

I  wonder  how  much  a  human  being  can  sup- 
port. Work  under  the  conditions  of  those  days 
was  simply  the  most  refined  cruelty  imaginable. 
Our  Bedawin  companions  crossed  the  Jordan 
stark  naked  and  insisted  on  our  doing  the  same. 

*'  Dog  of  a  Christian,"  cried  an  old  scarred 
Bedawi  warrior  to  me  when  I  demurred, — he  had 
only  one  eye  left,  several  of  his  fingers  were 
missing,  and  his  body  was  marked  with  spear 
wounds  ;  "  are  you  better  than  ourselves  that  you 
should  hide  your  nakedness  ?  Uncircumcised  dog, 
I  will  crush  you  like  a  fly  " — raising  his  Naboot — 
"  if  you  do  not  throw  off  every  rag  from  your 
accursed  body  !  " 

And  so,  under  a  torrid  sun — 45  to  55  degrees 
Centigrade,  with  bare  slashed  feet  on  the  burning 
sand,  with  enormous  gnats  and  mosquitoes  biting 

4— (2 1 3 1) 


30  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

our  bodies,  we  worked.  To  drive  away  the 
insects,  which  stung  our  bodies  until  they  bled, 
every  swimmer  was  provided  with  a  leaved  willow 
wand  cut  on  the  banks,  and  with  this  he  contin- 
ually whipped  himself.  Near  the  starting-point,  * 
where  the  grain  was  poured  into  the  Kirbies  by 
the  non-swimmers,  huge  fires  were  kept  up,  and 
in  the  heat  and  smoke  of  these  we  sat  in  an  almost 
vain  endeavour  to  keep  the  insects  at  bay  until, 
once  more,  we  popped  into  the  stream. 

To  show  good-humour  and  also  to  rail  at  the 
cowardly  non-swimmers  when  they  were  on  the 
shore,  we  sang,  either  alone  or  in  unison.  But 
never  a  word  was  uttered  when  man  or  beast 
was  drifting  down  the  Jordan.  Once,  as  a  man 
was  washed  away,  I  cried  out  in  terror,  but  I  was 
quickly  called  to  order  by  a  Bedawi,  who  remarked, 
philosophically  : — 

"  We  are  not  blind  and  your  shouting  will  only 
frighten  the  others.  Besides,  the  victim  himself 
will  lose  hope.  You  will  neither  draw  him  out 
nor  give  him  encouragement.  If  luck  is  in  his 
favour  he  will  be  washed  ashore." 


1  On  account  of  the  river's  rapidity  we 
were  carried  hundreds  of  yards  down  stream. 
So  we  had  always  three  points  for  starting  and 
A  landing.  A  was  the  spot  at  which  we  started 
to  reach  B.  Then  we  would  walk  up  the 
bank  to  C  and  drop  in  the  river  to  be  carried 
to  A  again. 


ABSOLUTE    EQUALITY  31 

And  sure  enough,  he  was.  .  .  .  Ever  afterwards, 
whenever  I  saw  a  donkey  or  a  cow  washed  away, 
I  thought  of  that  Bedawi  wise-man  and  regarded 
the  loss  without  flinching.  What  matter  ! — it 
was  only  one  more  animal  that  had  gone  to  feed 
the  Cheetahs  1  in  the  jungle  below. 

II 

Very  little  indeed  was  done  for  the  comfort  of 
the  toilers  in  that  fearful  climate, — nothing  for 
the  security  of  either  man  or  beast.  There  was 
absolute  equality,  in  an  atmosphere  of  indifference. 
We  lived  an  ideal  social  life.  As  regards  food, 
whoever  had  any  gave  it  up,  in  true  Bedawi 
fashion,  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole  community. 
Everything  was  eaten  then  and  there  on  the  banks 
of  the  Jordan,  so  as  not  to  have  the  trouble  of 
carrying  it  the  ten  miles  to  our  camp  on  the  green 
banks  of  the  Kaffrain. 

I  was  often  asked  in  after  years  why  we  did 
not  build  huts  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan  to 
protect  ourselves  against  the  sun — why  we 
did  not  throw  wire  ropes  across  the  river — 
why  we  had  no  planks  for  landing — and  so  on. 
The  questioners  had  never  come  into  contact  with 
a  Bedawi  at  home, — a  Bedawi  who  will  risk  his 

^  Possibly  the  "  roaring  lion  "  referred  to  by  the  Prophet 
Jeremiah  as  "  coming  up  before  the  swelling  of  Jordan  "  was  the 
Cheetah.  I  am  inclined  to  the  belief  that  the  lion  never  really 
existed  in  Palestine  proper.  The  Bible  contains  various  references 
to  lions,  but  this  is  possibly  due  to  negligence  on  the  part  of  the 
transcribers. 


32  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

life  on  a  marauding  expedition  and  on  returning 
will  present  you  with  his  share  of  the  spoil  in  return 
for  a  compliment, — a  Bedawi  who  will  deliberately 
destroy  any  means  of  getting  over  Jordan  easier, 
who  will  fell  a  tree  fifteen  feet  high  in  order  to 
obtain  a  stick  which  pleases  him  in  the  branches, 
who  will  hunt  for  days  and  nights  in  the  jungle, 
slaughtering  wild  boar  until  he  has  found  just  the 
right  pair  of  tusks  for  ornamenting  his  mare's 
neck,  or  who  will  climb  a  precipice  in  search  of  an 
eagle  to  provide  him  with  the  two  bones  for 
making  a  Neiye, — a  Bedawi  who  is  as  free  as  the 
air,  careless  as  a  four-year-old  baby,  cruel  as  a 
tiger,  and  yet  so  hospitable  that  it  is  impossible 
to  find  his  equal  anywhere  in  the  world.  No  ; 
a  Bedawi  would  join  you  in  carrying  off  wives,  if 
you  proposed  it  to  him,  but  he  would  set  fire  to 
your  huts,  cut  your  wire  ropes  and  throw  your 
planks  into  the  river — for  the  fun  of  it.  He  cares 
not  a  fig  for  progress.  The  wilder,  the  more 
inaccessible  his  region,  the  more  secure  is  his  life 
and  the  better  he  is  pleased.  His  whole  desire 
is  to  keep  the  civilised  world  and  the  Government 
official  in  search  of  taxes  away.  He  is  a  "  wild 
man,"  whose  hand  is  "  against  every  man,"  and, 
as  was  promised  to  Hagar  concerning  that  Bedawi 
Ishmael,  every  man's  hand  shall  be  against  him.  ^ 
No  one  in  our  caravan  had,  I  assure  you,  the 
courage  to  linger  a  single  moment  longer  than  was 

^  Genesis  xvi.   12. 


Photo 


J.  H.  Halladjian,  Haifa 

A  Bedawi  of  the  Kishon 


MY    FAITHFUL    MARE  33 

necessary  on  the  banks  of  the  inhospitable  Jordan. 
As  soon  as  our  work  was  over  our  only  wish  was  to 
flee  from  the  heat  and  the  mosquitoes^  and  es- 
pecially from  any  hostile  Bedawin^  who,  exactly 
like  the  Apaches  in  the  suburbs  of  Paris,  or  the 
sharks  which,  hour  after  hour,  follow  the  ocean 
steamers  to  snatch  at  the  morsels  falling  overboard, 
might  turn  up  in  our  rear  to  seize  upon  any 
loiterer,  as  indeed  happened  to  myself,  as  I  will 
later  relate. 

When  we  came  to  the  Kaffrain,  the  Aduan  had 
decamped  for  the  cooler  slopes  of  Moab.  Imme- 
diately those  of  my  own  party  entered  upon  an 
open-air  life, — not  only  eating  but  sleeping  in  the 
open.  But  we  built  a  few  huts  for  the  protection 
of  the  women  and  to  hold  the  very  elementary 
cooking  utensils  which  Ghalie,  a  young  Fellaha, 
had  brought  with  her  for  our  use.  And  thus  we 
watched,  rather  than  slept,  in  case  anyone  less 
favoured  with  worldly  goods  should  attempt, 
under  cover  of  the  night,  to  run  off  with  our  ani- 
mals or  other  property.  During  the  day  my 
mare  was  tethered,  but  in  the  darkness,  as  no  one 
would  take  the  responsibility  of  looking  after  her, 
she  was  attached  to  my  wrist.  Thus,  every  night, 
for  two  long  months  I  lay  on  the  ground,  with  the 
mare  walking  round  and  round  me,  and  some- 
times gently  pulling,  lest  I  should  forget  myself 
in  too  deep  a  sleep.  Never  once  did  the  faithful, 
cautious  animal  so  much  as  graze  my  outstretched 


34  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

limbs,  except  when,  imagining  that  I  had  no  more 
breath,  or  that  some  wolf  or  jackal  was  approaching 
too  near,  she  would  draw  near  and  snort  in  my  face. 

We  were  divided  into  two  separate  camps, 
situated  some  distance  the  one  from  the  other, 
one  with  and  the  other  without  tents ;  and 
Imhammad  el-Talak,  Saleh  el-Kaak's  Bedawi 
partner,  was  with  us.  His  wife,  N^amy,  and  an 
eleven-year-old  son  named  Swelem  were  in  the 
other  encampment,  but  he  was  accompanied  by 
his  old  mother  ^Hamdiyeh,  who  used  to  sit  almost 
all  day  near  her  hut,  smoking  a  long  pipe  and  sur- 
veying the  harvest.  Enveloped  in  her  dark  blue 
clothes  and  dark  head  veil,  she  sat  so  motionless 
that,  at  a  distance,  no  one  would  have  taken  her 
to  be  a  living  being.  Only  on  drawing  near  and 
seeing  the  rings  of  smoke  pass  from  her  tattooed 
lips,  with  an  occasional  sideway  glance  of  her 
wild  eyes,  could  you  be  sure  that  she  was  not  a 
statue. 

Comparing  our  life  with  that  of  the  harvesters 
in  the  tent  camp,  we  lived  in  "  the  land  of  the 
lotus-eaters."  We  had  both  wheat  and  barley  ; 
the  well-nigh  impenetrable  Dom-forest  was  full 
of  Dom-apples  ;  whilst  innumerable  Senegal  and 
collared  turtle-doves,  which  filled  the  air  with 
their  ceaseless  cooing,  provided  us  with  meat. 
Never  before  or  since  did  I  eat  so  many  pigeons 
as  during  those  two  months  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  forest.     But  to  penetrate  the  thorny  thickets 


DOM-THICKETS    AND    SERPENTS      35 

in  pursuit  of  birds  or  in  search  of  fruit  was  no 
easy  or  agreeable  task.  We  had  not  only  to 
contend  with  the  sharp  hooked  thorns  of  the  Dom 
or  Lotus  tree  {Zizyphus  spina  Christi),  which  stuck 
to  our  clothes  "  closer  than  a  brother,"  tore  them 
into  holes  all  over,  and  scratched  our  hands  and 
faces, — we  had  to  keep  a  sharp  look-out  for  snakes, 
which  hid  in  the  high  grass  and  fed  upon  the  birds. 
I  did  not  then  know  the  difference  between  the 
deadly  Daboia,  the  huge  and  Hvely  Esculap,  and 
the  black  and  shining  Hanash  ;  and  when  I  shot 
a  gigantic  brown  Esculap,  measuring  more  than 
five  feet,  and  which  had  blown  out  its  neck  at  me 
from  the  top  of  a  Dom-tree,  I  thought  I  had  had  a 
narrow  escape.  The  small  Dom-apples — hardly 
bigger  than  a  hazel  nut — would  have  been  dis- 
dained elsewhere,  but  on  the  banks  of  the  Kaffrain 
every  Bedawi  gathers  them,  or  leaves  his  wife 
and  daughters  to  collect  a  store  for  winter  use. 
Dom-gathering — an  occupation  not  to  be  recom- 
mended to  those  with  delicate  hands — and  Swelem, 
the  eleven-year-old  son  of  Imhammad  el-Talak, 
are  ever  connected  in  my  memory.  In  the  inven- 
tion and  carrying  out  of  impish  tricks  that  young- 
ster was  a  past  master.  He  used  to  upset  the  trays 
containing  the  Dom-meal,  scatter  sand  on  the  dry- 
ing tobacco  leaves,  pour  water  into  his  grand- 
mother's tobacco-pipe,  set  loose  the  cows  and  the 
donkeys  of  the  Fellahin  when  they  were  most 
wanted  for  threshing,  and  defile  the  waters  of  the 


36  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Kaffrain  at  the  very  moment  when  the  women,  a 
Uttle  lower  down  the  stream,  were  fiUing  their 
Kirbies.  One  day,  when  he  had  been  assisting 
in  the  gathering  of  the  Dom-apples  and  had  been 
well  scratched  on  his  arms  and  legs,  he  revenged 
himself  by  setting  fire  to  the  bush.  The  Sharkiye, 
an  east  wind,  happened  to  be  blowing  slightly,  so 
that  in  a  very  short  time  the  whole  of  the  thickets 
in  our  neighbourhood  was  a  sea  of  fire,  killing 
young  birds  by  thousands  in  their  nests  and  scorch- 
ing hundreds  of  serpents  to  a  cinder.  For  once 
Swelem  escaped  a  thrashing.  Everybody  agreed 
that  his  act  was  a  stroke  of  genius.  For  the  result 
was  that  a  way  was  opened  in  the  impenetrable 
forest,  the  defences  of  the  Zizyphus  spina  Christi 
were  broken  down,  the  dangerous  reptiles  were 
annihilated,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
Dom-apples  hung — roasted — on  the  leafless  trees. 

The  news  of  Swelem' s  fire  spread  almost  as 
rapidly  as  the  flames  he  had  set  ablazing.  Beda- 
wiyat  came  down  from  the  mountains  to  fill  their 
gazelle-skin  bags  with  roasted  Dom-apples  and, 
returning  home,  heavily  ladened,  sent  others  or 
came  again  themselves.  The  fire  was  a  god-send 
to  all  except  myself,  who  had  now  to  go  much 
further  afield  in  search  of  game. 

Being  the  only  European,  it  was  thought,  in 
those  days  (1874),  to  be  safer  for  me  to  wear 
Bedawi-clothing  :  a  long  shirt  with  broad,  pointed 
sleeves  hanging  to  the  ground,  a  Saye,  and,  on  my 


THE    WHITE    "FRANJI"  37 

head,  a  silken  Kafiye.  With  the  exception  of  the 
girdle,  which  held  the  shirt  and  the  Saye  together, 
the  ^Akal,  or  head-cord,  wound  around  the 
Kafiye,  and  a  fringe  of  hair  hanging  over  my 
forehead,  in  accordance  with  the  fashion  among 
Bedawin  youngsters,  I  was  a  figure  in  spotless 
white.  In  order  to  be  able  to  walk  more  easily 
whilst  on  the  march,  I  used  to  gather  up  the  long 
folds  of  my  dress  and  stick  them  in  my  girdle, 
leaving  my  legs  bare.  No  wonder  that  one  day 
four  Bedawiyat,  gathering  Dom-apples  in  the 
forest,  fled  with  loud  screams  at  my  approach. 
They  had  never  seen  a  white  boy  before  and  must 
have  imagined  that  a  Jan,  or  guardian  of  the 
forest,  had  appeared  to  drive  them  home.  Fearing 
that  their  silly  behaviour  might  be  wrongly  inter- 
preted in  the  camp,  I  shouted  to  them  at  the  top 
of  my  voice  to  stop.  They  obeyed,  a  little 
through  feminine  curiosity,  a  little  through  fear  ; 
then,  timidly,  in  response  to  my  parleying,  they 
advanced,  until  at  last  they  had  drawn  near 
enough  to  pinch  my  arms  and  legs  and  make  cer- 
tain that  I  was  an  authentic  son  of  Adam.  To 
account  for  my  white  skin  and  white  Kafiye, 
which  is  often  dark  with  the  Bedawin,  I  explained 
to  them  that  I  was  a  Frank.  Never  before  had 
they  set  eyes  on  a  **  Franji  "  and  once  more, 
impelled  by  curiosity,  they  stretched  out  their 
tattooed  arms  to  touch  my  body.  To  seal  our 
friendship  every  one  offered  me  Dom-apples  until 


38  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

I  had  as  many  as  I  could  carry,  wrapped — 
Bedawi  fashion — in  the  long  sleeves  of  my  ample 
gown.  But  I  am  inclined  to  think  that,  after  all, 
they  were  not  quite  convinced.  For  they  retreated 
cautiously,  with  many  backward  glances  and  the 
youngest,  a  girl  of  fourteen,  attempting  to  hide 
behind  the  others,  until  they  finally  disappeared 
behind  the  half-burned  bushes. 

Ill 

There  was  little  variety  in  our  meals  in  camp  ; 
the  only  striking  change  was  when  Ghalie,  having 
baked  the  bread  in  the  ashes  in  the  morning  and 
at  noon,  treated  us  in  the  evening  to  the  luxury  of 
bread  made  on  a  Saaj,  an  iron  plate,  above  the 
fire.  Pigeons  and  bread  and  Dom-apples  followed 
each  other  in  regular  rotation.  Vegetables  were 
unknown. 

The  only  plant  the  Bedawin  care  to  grow  is  the 
fragrant  Hassanbaki,  i.e.,  tobacco,  which  they 
cultivate  in  small  enclosures.  But  so  impatient 
are  they  that  they  never  wait  for  the  plants  to 
attain  their  full  growth.  Nor  have  they  the 
patience  to  wait  for  the  leaves  to  dry  ;  hardly 
have  they  begun  to  wither  than  they  cut  them  up 
with  their  pocket-knives.  As  clay  pipes  can  only 
be  obtained  in  the  towns,  they  make  a  Ghaliun 
of  a  reed  stem,  boring  a  hole  in  one  side  through 
which  to  draw  the  smoke.  It  would  be  too  much 
exertion  on  hand  and  brain  to  fashion  a  pipe-stem 


DEAD    SEA    DISTRICT  39 

out  of  a  reedlet.  A  Bedawi  may  be  said  to  suck 
rather  than  smoke  his  pipe,  which  he  enjoys, 
however,  every  bit  as  much  as  the  wealthy  towns- 
man does  his  silver  filigreed  narghile  or  a  European 
his  amber-mouthed  meerschaum. 

Once  we  moved  our  camp  up  stream,  in  order 
to  have  the  protection  of  a  ruined  site, — beloved 
of  the  Fellahin, — and  the  luxury  of  a  wall  against 
which  to  build  Ghalie's  hut.  Imhammad  el-Talak 
had  now  departed  with  his  chief  ;  Saleh  el-Kaak 
and  his  sons,  Khaleel  and  Ehmad,  were  actively 
engaged  in  cutting  the  wheat  and  the  barley  ; 
Ghalie  had  almost  all  the  threshing  to  do  ;  and 
nearly  everybody,  save  myself,  had  his  appointed 
duties.  As  long  as  the  sun  shone  hot  on  the  straw 
heap  I  enjoyed  little  society.  I  had  to  content 
myself  with  Murjane,  a  freed  slave  about  my  own 
age,  and  Sa'ad  el-Kaanass,  a  youth  several  years 
older,  and,  since  he  was  a  good  shot,  a  fairly 
frequent  companion. 

One  of  our  excursions,  when  time  hung  heavily 
on  my  hands  and  the  eternal  doves  and  pigeons  of 
Kaffrain  palled  on  my  palate,  was  to  the  Dead 
Sea,  about  a  two  hours'  walk  away.  I  noticed 
that  whilst  visiting  that  dangerous  district  the 
Bedawin  were  much  more  particular  about  their 
health  than  either  the  Fellahin  or  myself.  They 
carried  with  them  tiny  bags  filled  with  tar  which, 
as  soon  as  they  entered  the  swampy  regions,  they 
stuffed  into  their  nostrils.     It  was  an  excellent 


40  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

preventive,  they  told  me,  against  the  Wakham,  ^ 
which,  unfortunately,  we  mountaineers  disdained. 
I  think  I  may  say  that  fully  fifty  per  cent,  of  us 
died  or  were  sickly  for  years  after  through  not 
taking  the  necessary  precautions  against  fever. 
It  is  not  only  the  poisonous  emanations  of  the  vol- 
canic region  which  cause  trouble,  one  must  take 
into  account  the  great  heat  in  the  depression  in 
which  the  Dead  Sea  lies,  nearly  six  hundred  feet 
below  the  level  of  other  seas,  and,  in  addition,  its 
unhealthy  waters. 

But,  in  spite  of  the  danger  of  that  part  of  Pal- 
estine, what  a  fascination  it  has  for  the  naturalist 
and  the  sportsman  !  Birds,  reptiles  and  plants — 
some  of  them  known  only  in  that  tropical  climate — 
abound  there.  We  brought  home  both  red-legged 
and  sand-partridges,  francolins  and  grakles  ;  we 
admired  the  tiny  sun-birds — smaller  than  some 
butterflies — and  the  golden  frogs  which,  at  our 
approach,  leapt  into  the  warm  waters  of  Calirrhoe 
and  other  sulphurous  springs  east  of  the  Dead 
Sea  ;  we  watched  the  slow  mastiguer,  with  its 
horny  tail,  creep  along  the  sand  ;  and  sat  at  the 
foot  of  the  Asclepia  gigantea,  or  Caletropis  procera^ 
fifteen  feet  high,  with  broad  thick  leaves,  like  a 
good  sized  man's  hand,  and  an  orange-like  fruit, 
containing  those  silky  fibres  of  which  legends  have 
been  told  by  all  ancient  writers  from  Josephus  to 
Tacitus.     They,  and  even  some  modern  writers, 

1  Malaria. 


APPLE    OF   SODOM  41 

have  contended  that   this  Apple   of  Sodom,   in  ^ 

memory  of  the  destruction  by  brimstone  and 
ashes  of  the  neighbouring  Sodom  and  Gomorrah, 
contains  nothing  but  smoke  and  ashes.  But  I 
found  that  Sa'ad  el-Kaanass  and  the  scientists 
were  wiser.  My  companion,  who  told  me  wonder- 
ful stories  of  the  'Oshair,  showed  me  that  the  slight 
explosion  which  results  from  the  touching  of  the 
fruit  was  a  characteristic  of  all  Asclepias, — one  of 
Nature's  wonderful  methods  of  disseminating  the 
seeds  of  the  plant,  which  are  thus  shot  forth  and 
borne  away  by  the  wind  to  fructify  in  a  thousand 
different  places.  Far  from  the  Asclepia  gigantea 
being  associated  with  the  idea  of  death  and  destruc- 
tion, it  was,  to  Salad's  mind,  the  symbol  of  life. 
"  Was  not  its  name,"  he  asked  me,  "  'Oshair, — 
the  pregnant-maker,  and  had  not  a  barren  woman 
once  sat  within  the  shade  of  the  tree  and  soon  after 
had  a  child  ?  "  And  to  prove  that  life  was  indeed 
its  essential  element,  he  showed  me  how  a  thick 
milky  juice  could  be  made  to  flow  from  the  plant 
Uke  opium  from  the  poppy.  Sometimes  we  would 
shoot  at  the  wild  boars,  but  as  they  disappeared 
in  the  Jordan  jungle  we  rarely  attempted  to  follow 
them,  for  Sa^ad  thought  that  the  tusks  were  hardly 
worth  the  risk  of  being  attacked  by  the  Cheetahs 
who  prey  upon  the  boar.  Sometimes  a  grouse 
would  call  out,  "Naagged!  Khanafer!  Ghittit !  " 
tempting  me  to  follow.  But  the  prudent  Sa'ad 
would  dissuade  me,  saying  :  "  It  is  wiser  not  to 


42  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

look  for  *  the  she-camel  of  Khanafer  which  is 
lost.'  Maybe  the  bird  is  merely  leading  us  on  to 
destruction.     We  had  better  return  to  the  camp." 

On  another  occasion,  when  approaching  the  sea 
and  whilst  it  was  yet  dark,  a  ball  of  fire,  like  a 
huge  star,  rose  from  the  water,  and,  after  ascending 
several  hundreds  of  feet,  vanished.  Again  Sa'ad 
thought  we  had  better  return  home.  It  was  a 
Will-' o-the- wisp,  common  over  the  surface  of  the 
Dead  Sea,  but  to  Sa'ad  it  was  a  sign  of  the  presence 
of  the  Jan. 

Superstition  is  very  deeply  rooted  among  the 
Bedawin.  Old  Im-Imhammad,  the  soothsayer 
of  our  camp,  was  a  very  good  example  of  this. 
She  was  a  curious  mixture  of  sagacity  and  igno- 
rance, of  cimningand  a  genuine  beUef  in  her  powers. 
She  could  extract  balsamic  oil  from  the  date-like 
fruit  of  the  oleaster  (Elceagnus  angustifolius), 
and  used  it  for  healing  wounds,  though  the 
Zaqum  (as  the  Arabs  call  it)  with  its  spikes  often 
over  an  inch  long,  is  said  to  flourish  in  hell  and  fur- 
nish fruit  for  unbehevers.  ^  There  were  many  other 
plants  whose  virtues  she  knew  and  whose  secrets 
she  carefully  kept  to  herself.  But  her  forte  was 
prophecy.  She  foretold  calamities  or  good  news 
with  imperturbable  peace  of  mind,  passing  the 
while  a  long  straw  through  the  stem  of  her  pipe 
to  enjoy  the  nicotine  which  she  thus  collected, 
or  sucking  rather  than  chewing  tobacco  when  the 

*  The  Koran,  Sura,  xvii.  62. 


DEATH    BELL  43 

other  was  lacking.  Like  every  soothsayer,  she 
was  extremely  sober  in  words,  and  thus  was  never 
compromised, — the  same  prophecy  could  be  made 
to  apply  to  good  or  to  evil. 

IV 

At  last  the  time  came  for  us  to  raise  our  camp 
and  return  home.  Row  after  row  of  black  goat- 
hair  Fardies,  filled  with  wheat,  stood  waiting  to 
be  loaded  on  to  the  backs  of  the  camels.  Every- 
thing had  been  packed  ready  for  the  departure, 
which  had  been  fixed  for  an  early  hour  of  the  morn- 
ing. Amidst  the  wailing  of  the  jackals  and  the 
darkness  of  the  night,  we  had  lain  down  to  take 
our  last  rest  in  the  old  camp,  filled  with  a  feeling 
of  sadness  at  the  thought  that,  in  spite  of  all  its 
discomforts,  we  were  about  to  leave  it  for  ever. 
Suddenly,  just  as  the  last  cooings  of  the  turtle- 
doves were  lulling  us  to  sleep,  the  sound  of  a  tiny 
bell  was  heard  in  the  distance.  Soon  the  tinkling 
was  accompanied  by  a  light,  which  rapidly  drew 
near.  Looking  anxiously  in  the  direction  of  the 
sound,  old  Im-Imhammad  muttered  through  her 
teeth  : — **  Maskeen  !  Bara  esh  sharr  ! — Poor 
fellow !     Evil. 

A  horseman  with  bell  and  torch  dashed  up.  It 
was  as  the  old  soothsayer  had  expected  :  a  Bedawi 
boy  had  been  bitten  by  a  viper  and  according 
to  custom  a  messenger  had  been  sent  with  bell 
and  torch  to  announce  the  sad  news  and  search 


44  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

for  a  remedy.  Im-Imhammad  quickly  prepared 
Zaqum-oil  and  fruit  plaster,  and  inquired  when 
the  accident  happened.  The  envoy  told  her 
**  many  hours  before/'  whereupon  a  grave  look 
came  into  the  old  woman's  eyes.  She  knew 
that  the  boy  would  be  dead  before  the  remedy 
arrived. 

Im-Imhammad' s  last  words  as  we  started  in 
the  half  light  preceding  dawn  were  : — 

"  La  ter'haloo  yome  er'heelhum. 
Wala  tughussloo  yome  ghaseelhum,"  ^ 

and  gravely  shaking  her  head  at  me,  she  added  : — 
"  My  child,  Allah  yesahhel  'alaik  !— May  Allah 
smooth  the  way  for  you  !  " 

As  this  was  the  general  retreat  of  the  Fellahin 
of  the  Kaffrain,  there  was  a  great  commotion  on 
the  banks  of  the  Jordan  when  we  reached  the  great 
river.  Fellahin  and  Fellahat  were  busy  pouring 
the  grain  from  the  great  Fardies  on  to  out-spread 
sacks  ;  others  were  filling  the  Kirbies.  Camels  and 
donkeys  were  being  stripped  of  their  saddles  and 
bound  at  the  jaws.  The  swimmers  stood  in  readi- 
ness and  the  non-swimmers  had  small  inflated 
Se'in^  on  their  backs  to  help  them  across  the 
stream.     A  fierce  June  sun  poured  its  rays  upon  us. 

At  last  everybody  had  crossed.     Those  of  my 

^  "  Forbear  to  start  on  their  starting  day," — that  is,  the  day 
on  which  the  soul  leaves  the  body.  "  Neither  wash  on  the  day 
they  are  washed," — a  reference  to  the  washing  of  the  dead  before 
entombment. 

*  Small  Kirbies. 


A    NARROW    ESCAPE  45 

caravan  had  already  started  on  their  journey, 
leaving  me — the  last  as  usual — to  cross  the  Jordan 
once  more  and  fetch  my  mare.  Just  as  the 
last  Fellah  with  his  animals  disappeared  round  the 
marly  hills  I  popped  into  the  water  and  struck 
out  for  the  opposite  bank. 

But  no  sooner  had  I  clambered  ashore  than  I 
heard  a  sound  of  galloping,  and  the  next  moment  a 
fully-armed  Bedawi,  with  his  spear  pointed  towards 
me,  drew  up. 

"  Very  glad  to  meet  you,"  he  said,  sarcastically. 
"  I  see  you  are  a  perfect  swimmer,  and  I  am  glad 
to  have  arrived  in  time  for  I  know  nothing  of  your 
art.  There  is  myself,  my  mare,  a  valuable  she- 
camel  and  her  young  to  be  carried  over  the  river. 
Now,  you  will  set  to  work  at  once  to  get  us  across, 
beginning  with  the  animals.  And  take  care  you 
don't  lose  any,  otherwise  your  mare  and  rifle  will 
be  confiscated.  Moreover,  if  you  play  me  any 
tricks,  I  shall  leave  your  carcass  to  the  Cheetahs 
and  let  your  soul  go  to  hell-fire,  which  is  your 
ultimate  lot,  dog  of  an  infidel !  " 

Dismounting  and  seizing  my  mare  by  its  bridle, 
he  sat  down  on  the  sand  and  began,  in  a  menacing 
tone,  to  give  me  further  orders  : — 

"  Now,  set  to  work  cheerfully.  You  had  better 
begin  with  my  'Hamra,  ^  which  you'll  tie  very  fast 
on  the  other  side.  Then  hurry  back  to  take  over 
her  young,  for  if  you  are  lazy  the  mother  will 

^  A  red  cow-camel. 

5— (2131) 


46  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

break  loose  and  cross  over  to  her  calf.  Then  you 
would  have  to  begin  over  again.  This  being  done 
you  will  fetch  me.  I  know  you  would  not  risk 
running  away  with  my  mare  on  this  side  the  river, 
but  you  might  do  so  on  the  western  side  and  then 
join  your  caravan.  So  you  take  my  mare  the 
last — and  then  do  what  you  like,  for  I  shall  have 
no  further  need  of  your  services.  Come  now,  hurry 
up  !  " 

And  hurry  I  did.  At  every  crossing  he  threat- 
ened me  with  death  should  any  of  his  animals 
slip  and  be  drowned. 

Never  shall  I  forget  that  crossing  of  the  Jordan 
with  the  Bedawi's  red  cow-camel.  She  bellowed 
continuously  for  her  calf  and  pulled  in  the  opposite 
direction,  endeavouring  to  return.  All  the  time 
the  swift  current  of  the  Jordan  was  carrying  me 
down  stream,  trying  my  muscles — weary  with  four 
hours'  swimming — to  the  uttermost.  How  I  raged, 
inwardly,  at  that  ironical  savage,  and  how  ashamed 
I  felt  at  being  treated  like  a  vile  slave !  There 
was  nothing  for  it,  however,  but  to  work  hard  and 
cheerfully. 

When,  finally,  I  landed  the  camel  she  was 
simply  raving,  and  I  had  great  difficulty  in  making 
her  kneel  down  under  the  shadow  of  a  lofty  poplar 
and  binding  her  knees,  so  that  she  could  not  rise. 
My  second  crossing  was  easy, — the  calf,  like  a 
Bedawiye,  followed  calmly  and  with  a  look  of 
confidence   in   her   baby   eyes.     And   no   sooner 


WILD    THOUGHTS  47 

had  we  landed  than  it  galloped  towards  its  mother, 
crying  as  though  they  had  been  parted  for  months. 

The  Bedawi  was  waiting  for  me  on  my  return. 
He  was  stripped  and  equipped  with  Se'in  on  his 
back.  On  his  head,  in  a  broad  packet^  were  his 
personal  belongings  and  my  rifle. 

"  This,"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  bundle,  "  is 
the  safest  way.  Allah  is  indeed  great  to  have  sent 
this  infidel  to  work  for  me." 

As  we  stepped  into  the  Jordan,  a  grim  thought 
flashed  through  my  mind  :  "  Suppose,  when  we 
reach  mid-stream,  I  let  him  go  ?  "  But  the  next 
moment  my  Christian  training  corrected  me. 
"  No, — that  would  never  do  :  he  is  a  man,  with  a 
soul,  after  all.  Besides,  the  act  would  be  a 
cowardly  one.  .  .  .  Could  Im-Imhammad  but  see 
me  in  that  position  would  she  sanction  the  aban- 
donment of  a  fellow-creature  ?  No.  She  would 
say  :  '  Why  did  you  start  when  there  was  a 
funeral  ?  But  you  would  have  your  own  way, 
and  now  you  must  bear  the  consequences.'  " 
Musing  thus,  I  tightened  my  grip  on  the  cord, 
and  a  few  minutes  later  dragged  the  Bedawi  ashore. 

"  You  have  worked  nicely,"  said  the  savage, 
who,  in  spite  of  his  authoritative  words,  looked 
terrified  at  the  crossing.  "  Now  you  can  fetch 
my  mare,  a  prize  animal ;  and  as  a  reward  I 
will  remain  with  you  until  you  reach  your  caravan." 

I  thanked  him  for  his  generosity,  went  back 
for    the    most    valuable    animal    of    all — himself 


48  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

included,  and  brought  her  over,  as  docile  as  the 
young  camel.  When  all  were  gathered  on  the 
western  banks  of  the  Jordan  I  gave  a  great  sigh 
of  relief.  Then  I  went  to  fetch  my  faithful  mare, 
Athene. 

It  took  me  but  a  moment  to  dress  on  getting 
back,  to  seize  my  rifle  which  the  Bedawi  had  placed 
against  a  willow,  and  to  vault  into  the  saddle. 
At  that  moment  a  boar  and  sow,  with  seven  or 
eight  little  ones,  came  rushing  by.  The  Bedawi, 
already  on  his  horse,  at  once  set  off  in  pursuit, 
shouting  to  me  to  follow.  But  all  I  wanted  was  to 
flee  from  the  scene  of  my  adventure  and  reach  my 
friends.  A  word  in  Athene's  ear  was  enough, — 
with  a  snort  of  joy  and  a  bound  she  was  off, 
galloping  at  the  top  of  her  speed  across  the  plains 
and  scattering  the  jerboas,  porcupine  mice,  and 
other  small  rodents  which  burrow  in  the  sand,  in 
all  directions. 

Saleh  el-Kaak,  his  sons  and  the  other  Fellahin 
of  our  caravan  were  waiting  for  me  near  the 
ruins  of  'Ain-Sultan,  beyond  Jericho,  wondering 
what  had  become  of  me,  but,  suffocated  by  the 
heat,  making  no  attempt  to  find  me.  They 
cursed  the  father  of  the  Bedawi  for  having  detained 
me  ;  then  dismissed  the  matter  from  their  minds. 

A  long  six  hours'  ride  up  the  stony  roads  of 
Judaea,  a  few  ascents  and  descents  on  Mount 
Olivet,  down  the  Kedron,  up  Moriah  and  Zion, 
brought  these  episodes  of  my  youth  to  a  close. 


THE    DREADED    "  WAKHAM  "         49 

V 

"  Why  has  Phihp  not  come  ?  "  anxiously  asked 
my  father,  in  Arabic,  when  we  arrived  and  his 
eyes  glanced  from  one  to  the  other  .  .  .  Wild  and 
sunburnt  indeed  I  must  have  looked  to  have 
thus  been  unrecognised  by  my  own  father ! 
He  could  not  believe  that  a  two  months'  sojourn 
in  the  Bedawin  country  could  have  produced  so 
complete  a  transformation. 

♦  *  4e  4: 

"  Is  this  the  result  of  too  great  a  strain  ?  Is 
it  the  dreaded  Wakham,  or  malarial  fever,  that  has 
put  the  boy  in  this  condition  ?  "  asked  the  English 
doctor  of  Jerusalem  when  I  awoke  after  three 
weeks  unconsciousness.  "  However,  the  danger 
is  over  now.  We  shall  pull  him  through^  after 
all." 

YeSj  the  danger  was  over  then,  but  I  had  to 
struggle  against  my  illness  for  nearly  six  months 
more. 

It  was  many  years  before  I  went  into  that 
death-trap  of  the  Jordan  again^  and  then  only 
for  a  day  or  two  at  a  time,  on  tour  and  under 
vastly  different  conditions. 


Ill 

SONS    OF   THE    PHILISTINES 

I 

Muhammad  Moosa  was  at  his  prayers,  and  as  he 
prayed  he  combed  his  flowing  pepper-and-salt 
beard.  More  than  usual  fervour  entered,  on  this 
August  evening,  into  his  praying  and  his  combing, 
for  he  was  about  to  make  a  journey  on  which  it 
was  meet  that  Allah  should  lovingly  watch  over 
one  of  the  descendants  of  his  Prophet  and  that  this 
descendant — no  other  than  the  handsome,  black- 
eyed,  aquiline-nosed,  dark-skinned  Sherif  Muham- 
mad Moosa  himself — should  be  impeccable  in  his 
personal  appearance. 

"  Blessed  be  the  name  of  Allah,  who  protecteth 
his  servants  in  the  hour  of  danger,"  murmured 
the  kneeling  Muhammad  Moosa.  "  Watch,  oh  ! 
all  powerful  one,  over  Sherif  Moosa  and  his  com- 
panions. Grant  that  the  camels  stumble  not, — 
that  they  travel  to  Jerusalem  unheeded  and 
unharmed.  Thrust  aside  from  our  path  all  with 
inquisitive  eyes,  for  thy  servant  is  a  man  of  peace, 
who  loveth  not  the  use  of  force.  But  should, 
perchance,  the  enemies  of  thy  servant  stumble  in 
his  way,  give  him — oh  !  protector  of  those  who 
bring  forth  fruits  from  the  soil — the  strength  to 
smite  and  put  them  to  shame." 

50 


KHALEEL'S    TOILET  51 

A  sound  of  footsteps  at  the  entrance  to  the  hut 
made  the  kneeHng  Fellah  turn  his  head.  It  was 
Khaleel  Ibrahim,  a  dark-skinned,  eagle-nosed, 
black-bearded  man  of  thirty-five,  dressed  and 
equipped  as  though  for  a  journey.  His  principal 
clothing  consisted  of  the  Thob,  a  white  shirt  with 
open  front  and  wide  sleeves,  which  revealed  his 
hairy  breast  and  bare  arms  almost  up  to  the 
shoulders.  On  his  head  was  a  red  cap,  surrounded 
by  a  large  yellow  and  grey  striped  turban  ;  on  his 
feet  were  raw  camel-hide  shoes,  known  as  Watta. 
Encircling  his  waist  was  a  broad  leather  girdle, 
and  to  this  were  attached  a  number  of  iron  hooks, 
to  which  were  suspended  a  powder  horn  of  solid 
wood,  a  long  chain  with  a  knife  dangling  at  the 
end,  a  leather  bag  to  hold  lead  and  bullets  for 
firearms,  a  tobacco  pouch  with  a  pipe,  and  a 
smaller  pouch  containing  flint  and  steel  and  tinder, 
made  from  a  composite  plant  called  Soufaan. 

Khaleel  Ibrahim  had  come  to  tell  his  chief  that 
the  hour  for  departure  had  arrived.  Bringing 
his  prayer  to  an  abrupt  termination,  Muhammad 
Moosa  rose  to  his  feet  and,  as  he  arranged  his 
immense  green  turban  (a  sign  of  his  claim  to  pro- 
phetic descent)  gave  his  orders.  A  complicated 
piece  of  work — this  arrangement  of  the  Sherif's 
turban,  his  caps  and  their  contents  ;  and  one 
that  took  much  longer  than  the  giving  of  a  few 
brief  instructions  regarding  the  loading  of  the 
camels.     Besides  the  white  cap,  or  Takiyeh,  he 


52  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

wore  the  red  Tarbush,  and  between  these  the 
grey  felt  Lubbaad.  Between  the  Lubbaad  and 
the  Tarbush,  Muhammad  Moosa  kept  his  cigarette- 
papers,  his  tax-papers  and  other  documents,  and 
tucked  away  between  the  three  caps  and  the 
turban  were  httle  bottles  of  tar  or  scent  and  the 
wooden  comb  with  which,  whilst  saying  his  prayers, 
he  daily  combed  his  beard. 

The  loading  of  the  six  camels  was  already  well 
advanced  when  Muhammad  Moosa  issued  into  the 
open  air.  His  five  companions  were  quick  and 
skilful  workers.  Khaleel  Ibrahim,  with  his  wide 
sleeves  folded  out  of  the  way  under  his  Shmaar, 
set  them  a  constant  example.  Besides,  was  he 
not  Moosa' s  right-hand  man  and  feared  almost  as 
much  as  the  master  ? 

A  more  homogeneous  band  than  this  little  party 
of  camel-drivers  it  would  have  been  difficult  to 
find  in  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  the  plains 
of  the  Philistines.  Personal  interests,  family 
ties  and  the  sympathy  which  springs  up  between 
men  of  the  same  town  or  region  indissolubly 
bound  them  together.  Khaleel  Ibrahim  was  a 
native  of  Ashdod,  one  of  the  chief  towns  of 
Philistia.  Ehmad  Jabber,  a  young  man  of  twenty- 
eight  just  home  from  military  service,  was  also 
from  that  place.  Ethman  Abd  el-'Hei,  although 
born  in  Gaza,  had  so  long  lived  in  Ashdod,  where 
he  was  married  to  two  wives,  Halime  and  Fatme, 
that   he   was  regarded  by   Khaleel  and   Ehmad 


WEAPONS  53 

as  a  brother  townsman.  Abdallah  Saleh,  about 
thirty  years  of  age,  was  from  Shuweikeh,  the 
Biblical  Shochoh,  where  David  slew  Gohath.^ 
And  the  twenty-year-old  Yesmain  'Ali,  whose 
black  beard  was  just  sprouting,  hailed  from 
'Ain-Shams,  the  Beth-shemesh  of  the  Bible.  ^ 

Yet  these  sons  of  the  Philistines  were  singularly 
diversified  in  their  personal  characteristics — and 
to  a  certain  extent  also  as  regards  their  accoutre- 
ments. With  his  dandily-trimmed  fair  beard, 
grey  eyes  and  regular  Grecian  nose,  Ehmad  Jabber 
was  an  Apollo  in  comparison  with  Ethman  Abd- 
el-^Hei.  Ethman,  a  man  of  close  upon  forty,  had 
a  thick  Egyptian  nose,  a  dark  but  scanty  beard 
and  moustachios,  and  a  physiognomy  which  well 
accorded  with  his  warlike  equipment,  consisting 
of  a  goodly  selection  of  his  comrades'  arms  and  a 
formidable  Naboot,  an  oak  club,  all  in  one  piece, 
which  could  be  used  either  against  an  enemy  or 
simply  to  induce  the  camels  to  increase  their 
pace.  Ehmad's  favourite  weapon  was  a  curved, 
double-edged  dagger,  modestly  designated  by  the 
name  Shibriyeh — the  span  long, — although,  as 
usual,  it  was  twice  that  length.  Its  sheath  was 
ornamented  with  a  brass  plate,  bearing  his  name, 
and  this  detail  indicated  a  certain  coquetry  which 
appeared  also  in  his  dress.  As  a  rule,  his  clothing 
differed  but  shghtly  from  Khaleel's.  But  on  the 
present    occasion    his   turban    was    smaller    and 

^  I.  Samuel  xvii.  ^  I.  Samuel  vi.  9. 


54  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

adorned  with  red  stripes.  His  shoes — or  Surma, 
as  they  are  called  in  Arabic — were  of  blood-red, 
tanned  sheep-leather,  with  camel-hide  soles  and 
very  pointed  turned-up  toes.  And  instead  of  the 
Abba,  that  brown  and  grey  mantle  almost  uni- 
versally adopted  by  the  Fellahin  of  Palestine,  he 
wore  a  dark  blue  and  black  cloak,  called  a  Shaale. 
Abdallah  Saleh's  short  and  almost  red  beard, 
his  blue  eyes  and  fair  skin,  sunburnt  and  freckled, 
suggested  descent  from  one  of  the  Crusaders.  His 
equipment  was  much  the  same  as  that  of  the  others. 
But  his  turban  was  brown,  and  behind  the  right 
ear  the  end  of  his  hair-tuft,  the  Shushey — by  which 
Mohammed  the  Prophet  will  take  up  his  own 
people  on  the  day  of  judgment — was  peeping  out. 
Over  his  shirt  he  wore  a  short  yellow  and  white 
jacket,  and  on  the  third  finger  of  his  right  hand  was 
a  silver  ring  with  a  huge  stone,  on  which,  as  he 
was  a  municipal  councillor  of  his  native  village, 
his  name  was  engraved.  With  this  ring,  at  times, 
he  sealed  official  documents,  thus  dispensing  with 
the  signing  of  his  name,  which  he  would  have  found 
a  difficulty  in  doing.  For,  Uke  all  the  others, 
including  even  Sherif  Moosa,  he  was  illiterate. 
Long  ago  he  had  known  a  few  letters,  but  all  he 
could  do  now  was  to  make  out  numbers,  which  he 
called  "  Indian  figures."  His  Shmaar,  too,  was 
ornamented  by  a  couple  of  multicoloured  tassels, 
made  by  a  girl  of  Shuweikeh  when,  years  ago, 
he  had  silently  courted  her. 


LOADING    THE    CAMELS  55 

There  was  evidence  of  a  feminine  hand  also 
on  young  Yesmain  'AH's  dress.  His  white  cap, 
which  he  took  good  care  should  extend  well  below 
his  red  Tarbush,  was  neatly  trimmed  with  silk- 
laced  ornaments, — delicate  work  by  one  of  his 
admirers  of  which  he  was  mighty  proud.  There 
was  a  quaint  mixture  of  refinement  and  savagedom 
about  Yesmain  'Ali.  Like  every  Fellah,  his  ears 
was  diminutive  and  bent  down  by  his  caps  and 
turban.  His  Thob  was  always  pulled  up  under 
his  girdle,  leaving  his  legs  bare  to  the  knees,  and 
in  the  pouch  thus  formed  by  his  shirt  he  carried 
his  handkerchief,  his  tobacco,  and  sometimes — 
since  he  often  went  barefooted — his  shoes.  In  his 
waist-belt  was  stuck  a  Tubbar,  an  iron-headed 
hooked  club,  leaving  his  hands  free  to  handle  his 
gun,  with  which,  when  after  partridges,  or  any 
big  bird,  he  was  an  excellent  shot. 

Muhammad  Moosa  himself  took  part  in  the  load- 
ing of  the  last  camel.  Like  Eleazar,  he  called 
it  by  its  name  and  ordered  it,  with  a  guttural 
sound,  to  bow—"  Ikh  !-ikh  !-ikh  !  " 

At  the  sound  of  its  master's  voice  the  animal 
knelt  upon  the  level  ground.  Meanwhile,  Khaleel 
and  AbdaUah  had  brought  forth  the  huge  black 
goats'  hair  sacks  with  which  it  was  to  be  loaded, 
— some  four  to  five  hundred  pounds  weight  in  all, 
and  these  everybody  assisted  in  hoisting  into  their 
places.  The  camel,  besides  a  halter  and  a  long 
guide-rope  with  which  to  lead  it,  was  provided 


56  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

with  a  pack-saddle,  with  a  deep  cavity  in  the  middle 
for  the  hump  and  two  thick  poles  attached  right 
and  left,  and  longer  than  the  saddle  proper.  To 
these  sticks  were  tied  the  ropes  to  hold  the  load 
in  place  and  a  girdle  to  keep  the  saddle  in  position. 
The  load  was  divided  into  three :  two  big  ones 
right  and  left,  and  one  resting  on  the  saddle's  flat 
top. 

**  Howell!  "  cried  Sherif  Moosa,  when  everything 
was  securely  fixed,  and  the  camel  rose,  to  take  its 
place  with  the  others  in  a  long  file,  the  halter-rope 
of  one  attached  to  the  tail-strap  of  another. 

H 

The  final  preparations  for  departure  had  been 
made  and  Sherif  Moosa,  with  his  hand  on  the  guide- 
rope  of  the  leading  camel,  had  given  the  order 
to  start.  Slowly,  in  the  half  light  of  evening, 
the  little  band  moved  over  the  plains  of  the 
PhiUstines. 

Long,  wailing  sounds  were  beginning  to  fill  the 
whole  of  the  lowlands :  the  voices  of  jackals 
hunting  about  for  carcasses  or  other  debris.  One 
jackal  responded  to  another, — then  two,  then  ten, 
then  twenty,  and  finally  hundreds,  all  howling 
together.  No  one  is  afraid  of  them,  since  they 
never  attack  man  ;  nor  are  they  afraid  of  men, 
who  pass  them  by  unheeded. 

On  these  fertile  plains,  from  Jaffa  to  Gaza 
and   from   Ascalon  to  Zoreah   and  the   rock  of 


^ 
^ 


FELLAH    INDEPENDENCE  57 

Etam,  the  hiding-place  of  Samson,^  are  miles 
upon  miles  of  beautiful  wheat  and  barley-fields. 
There  are  tobacco  plants,  too,  growing  from  two  to 
six  feet  in  height,  and  the  dry  leaves  of  which 
the  Turkish  Government  buys  and  monopolizes. 
But  the  modern  Fellah  of  Palestine  is  a  true 
descendant  of  the  Philistines, — he  has  in  no  way 
changed  in  character,  and  he  starts — like  Sherif 
Muhammad  Moosa  and  his  companions — to  sell  his 
tobacco  by  smuggling  it  into  Jerusalem.  He  knows 
that,  on  the  long  way  winding  up  the  Vale  of  Sorek 
(Wad-es-Sarrar)  and  on  the  lowlands,  no  Govern- 
ment agent  would  dare  to  venture.  It  was  common 
knowledge  that  anyone  approaching  a  party  of 
smugglers  would  be  shot  down  without  mercy. 
This  was  their  land  and  their  tobacco, — not  the 
hated  Turks'.  They  were  legitimately  defending 
their  own  possessions,  the  fruit  of  long  hours  of 
toil  under  the  broiling  sun.  It  was  war  to  the 
bitter  end  should  any  intruder  attempt  to  bar 
their  way  between  Ashdod  (Sedud)  and  the  Plain 
of  Rephaim,  near  Jerusalem. 

Although  they  knew  that  they  were  in  all 
security  in  these  byways  (unless  some  spy  should 
denounce  them,  which  was  unUkely),  Moosa 's  men 
did  not  neglect  to  keep  a  sharp  look  out  to  right 
and  left,  and  with  their  guns  ever  ready. 

"  Masha  Allah !  By  God's  will,  our  camels 
are  strong  and  good,"  said  Ethman  Abd-el-'Hei 

^  Judges  XV.  8. 


58  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

to  Abdallah  Saleh,  who  was  immediately  in  front 
of  him. 

"  And  Allah,  in  his  goodness,  has  put  out  the 
moon  for  us,"  replied  Abdallah. 

"  Truly  everything  is  in  our  favour,"  chimed 
in  young  Yesmain  'Ali.  "  But  we  have  yet  to 
get  the  tobacco  over  the  walls  of  Jerusalem." 

"  All  in  good  time,"  exclaimed  Khaleel  Ibrahim. 
"  Allah  will  not  abandon  his  servants  in  the  hour 
of  need.  Besides,  Ehmad  Jabber  and  I  have  a 
plan  for  tricking  the  tobacco-inspector.  We  will 
talk  about  that  later." 

Sherif  Moosa  was  too  occupied  with  the  camels 
to  take  part  in  the  conversation.  From  time  to 
time  he  encouraged  the  animals  to  maintain  their 
pace  for  four  kilometres  an  hour  with  a  sharp  cry 
of  "  Allah  !  Ya  musahel ! — Oh  !  leveller  of  the 
road  !  "  Sometimes  he  would  utter  the  warning 
"  Ikhly  ! — Look  out,  mind  the  stones  !  "  where- 
upon the  leading  camel  would  carefully  avoid  the 
obstacle  and,  pricking  up  his  short  ears  in  the  act 
of  listening,  would  turn  his  large  intelligent  head 
in  the  direction  of  the  voice,  chewing  the  cud  the 
while.  To  kill  time,  Moosa  also  played  a  mono- 
tonous air  on  his  Neiye,  a  double  flute  made  of 
eagle-wing  bones  and  ornamented  with  a  few 
primitive  drawings.  The  camels  much  appre- 
ciated this  music,  lifting  up  their  heads  and 
affecting  a  few  dancing  steps,  until  "  Ikhly  !  " 
once  more  reminded  them  to  beware. 


A    REPTILE    ACCOMPLICE  59 

Shortly  after  midnight  the  smugglers  passed 
near  to  one  of  the  tobacco  growing  villages.  As 
there  was  still  room  on  the  camels,  Moosa  decided 
to  increase  his  store  by  means  of  a  trick  well  known 
to  tobacco-thieves.  A  lizard  was  his  accomplice, 
— the  big  thorny  stalue-lizard,  the  well-known 
Harden  of  Palestine,  which  is  about  seven  inches 
in  length,  with  long  claws  and  a  very  resisting 
tail.  ^  It  runs  up  the  walls  very  quickly  and 
lays  hold  of  any  stone  or  bush  it  can  find.  Catch 
it  by  its  tail  and  pull,  and  the  harder  it  tightens 
its  grip.  Knowing  this  peculiarity,  Moosa  took 
advantage  of  it  in  the  following  manner.  Khaleel 
Ibrahim,  who  always  carried  a  couple  of  stalue- 
lizards  with  him  in  a  leather  bag,  produced  one 
of  them,  and,  attaching  a  cord  to  its  tail,  tossed  it 
on  to  the  flat  top  of  one  of  the  village  houses, 
where  the  smugglers  suspected  that  tobacco  leaves 
might  be  suspended  on  strings  to  dry.  The 
Hardon,  in  its  endeavours  to  escape,  attached 
itself  to  one  of  the  strings  and  held  tight.  As  soon 
as  Khaleel' s  experienced  hand  felt  that  his  living 
fishing-tackle  had  got  a  firm  hold,  he  pulled  hard — 
and  down  came  the  Hardon  with  the  coveted 
tobacco. 

In  the  terrible  Wady  Esmain,  the  road  led 
through  the  dry  river  bed,  strewn  with  huge 
washed-down  stones.  The  only  sign  of  the  past 
winter's  moisture  were  a  few  Agnus  castus  plants. 

^  See  The  Grey  Trio,  p.  20. 


60  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Along  the  high  cUffs  and  in  the  almost  impenetrable 
brushwood  a  few  leopards — the  last  of  their  kind 
— lay  in  wait  for  any  stray  animal,  such  as  a  goat 
or  a  lamb,  that  might  come  that  way.  ^ 

Day  was  about  to  break  when,  on  the  second 
day  of  their  march,  the  file  of  camels  reached 
Battir — the  Bether  of  Solomon's  Song.  ^  Moosa 
and  his  men,  tired  and  dusty,  camped  under  the 
oUve-groves.  Weary,  too,  were  the  animals, 
requiring  no  invitation  to  kneel  down  and  be 
relieved  of  the  sacks  of  tobacco,  which  were 
promptly  hidden  away  in  the  thickets  near  by, 
to  be  ready  in  case  of  emergency.  Soon,  everyone 
(even  the  guardians)  was  sound  asleep, — everyone 
save  the  young  sportsman  Yesmain  'Ali,  who,  ere 
he  lay  down  to  rest,  slipped  away  with  the  quiet- 
ness of  a  leopard  in  the  direction  of  one  of  the 
vineyards,  now  full  of  Hamdany,  the  largest  and 
most  luscious  grapes  in  Palestine.  As  quick 
as  lightning,  he  lifted  the  hedge  and  filled  the 
corner  of  his  Abba  with  sufficient  fruit  to  last  the 
party  for  the  day.  In  a  few  minutes  he  was  back 
again  ;  a  moment  later  he  himself  was  slumbering. 
And  for  two  hours  the  only  sounds  that  could  be 
heard  were  the  heavy  breathing  of  the  sleepers  and 
the  crunching  of  the  brushwood  by  the  frugal 
lowland  camels. 


1  Since  the  building  of  the  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem  railway  in  1892 
leopards  have  entirely  disappeared  from  this  region. 

2  ii.  17. 


THE    VALLEY    OF   THE    ROSES       61 

III 

Khaleel  Ibrahim  and  Ehmad  Jabber  had  unfolded 
to  Sherif  Moosa  their  plan  for  frustrating  the  vigi- 
lance of  the  tobacco-inspector  of  Jerusalem  and  it 
had  received  the  chief's  approval.  They  had 
talked  the  matter  over  whilst  eating  Yes  main 
All's  grapes,  and  the  outcome  of  their  conversation 
was  that  Ehmad  Jabber  had  been  deputed  to  set 
out  immediately  and  with  all  speed  for  Jerusalem, 
a  distance  of  eight  miles  from  Battir. 

The  day  was  still  young  when  Ehmad,  having 
passed  through  the  fertile  Valley  of  the  Roses 
with  its  many  fountains — one  of  which,  near 
Welejeh,  is  said  to  be  Phihp's  WelP — reached  his 
destination.  The  Fellahat  were  still  passing  in  and 
out  of  the  Jaffa  Gate  with  their  round  baskets  of 
vegetables,  or,  squatting  on  the  ground  in  the 
street,  were  offering  them  for  sale.  Ehmad  lost 
no  time  in  proceeding  to  the  house  of  the  Inspector, 
situated  near  the  Damascus  Gate,  and  found  the 
Bowaab,  2  clothed  in  a  spotless  white  gown  and 
with  an  equally  immaculate  turban  on  his  head, 
sitting  at  the  entrance,  reciting  his  prayers  and 
marking  the  repetitions  on  his  rosary. 

*'  Sabhak  bil  kher, — Good  morning,"  said  Ehmad. 

"  Allah  ye  sabhak  bil  kher, — May  God  grant 
you  a  good  morning,"  replied  the  Bowaab. 

*  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  viii.  36, 

2  One  of  the  black  janitors  of  Takrur,  who,  on  account  of  their 
reputation  for  faithfulness,  are  universally  employed  as  guardians. 

6 — (2131) 


62  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

"Is  the  Effendi  at  home  ?  "  asked  Ehmad. 

"  Wallah  musch  ^aref, — By  God,  I  know  not/' 
answered  the  janitor  evasively,  for  like  all  Orientals 
he  was  cautious  in  replying  to  direct  questions. 

Ehmad  Jabber  made  a  sign  to  the  keeper  of  the 
nearest  coffee-house  to  bring  him  two  cups  of 
moka  and  a  small  chair.  When  he  had  sat 
down  in  the  street  and  begun  sipping  the  hot  coffee 
with  evident  dehght,  he  made  further  preparations 
for  a  lengthy  stay  by  ordering  two  narghiles. 
Whilst  the  rose-water  in  the  bottles  of  the  pipes 
was  gently  bubbling  and  the  smokers  inhaled  long 
draughts  of  the  sweet-scented  Persian  Tombak 
(the  only  tobacco  fit  for  a  narghile),  they  conversed 
about  the  scarcity  of  water  in  Jerusalem,  the  dan- 
ger of  a  locust  invasion  and  the  trying  times,  as 
though  the  Inspector  had  been  long  forgotten. 
But  he  was  ever  uppermost  in  Ehmad' s  mind, 
and  he  kept  wondering  how  he  should  once  more 
introduce  the  subject.  .  .  .  Better  speak  of  the 
matter  no  more,  he  decided ; — it  would  be  much 
more  simple  and  infinitely  pleasanter  to  sit  there 
patiently  until  the  Effendi  appeared.  So,  when  his 
first  pipe  was  smoked,  he  called  for  a  second,  which 
the  Kahwadji,  or  coffee-house  keeper,  prepared 
and  presented  in  the  orthodox  manner.  The 
Tombak  was  washed,  the  darkest  water  was 
squeezed  away,  the  tobacco  was  piled  on  the 
pipe's  head  and  the  five  coals  were  appUed. 
Then,  with  his  hand  on  his  breast,  the  Kahwadji 


PILGRIMAGES    TO    MECCA  63 

set  down  the  pipe  in  front  of  his  customer — a 
wealthy  customer  indeed^  since  he  could  afford  to 
sit  there  and  smoke  two  consecutive  narghiles  ! — 
and  respectfully  offered  him  the  long  tube  of  beau- 
tiful green  leather,  with  its  ivory  mouthpiece. 
"  Tefaddal — If  you  please/'  said  the  Madani, 
or  townsman,  in  his  own  manner  and  idiom. 
"  Eesht, — May  you  live  for  ever/' — replied  the 
countryman,  briefly.  And  he  instantly  resumed 
his  conversation  with  the  Bowaab,  hoping  every 
moment  that  the  Inspector  would  not  be  long. 
By  this  time  he  had  learnt  that  the  janitor's  name 
was  'Hadj  Imhammad  Abu  Bekr  and  had  heard 
how  he  had  come  by  his  title, — viz.,  by  a  seven 
years'  stay  in  Mecca.  A  white  man  can  receive 
the  title  of  'Hadj  (pilgrim)  after  a  single  pilgrimage, 
but  a  negro  must  be  present  seven  times  at  the  great 
feast  of  'Arafat  to  be  entitled  to  add  it  to  his  name. 
And  Imhammad  Abu  Bekr  commented  on  this 
manifest  injustice  until  Ehmad,  whose  thoughts 
were  elsewhere,  was  conscious  only  of  a  meaningless 
torrent  of  words. 

At  last,  about  twelve  o'clock,  Ehmad's  patience 
was  rewarded.  There  was  a  sound  of  quick 
footsteps  along  a  corridor  and  the  Inspector,  a 
small-statured  man  with  a  clean  shaven  face  and 
diminutive  moustache,  and  dressed,  save  for  his 
fez,  like  a  European,  appeared  through  the 
entrance.  Ehmad  rose,  and  with  a  deep  bow  said  : — 

**  I  have  grave  news,  Effendi." 


64  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  asked  the  Inspector,  whose  name 
was  Abd-el-Kareem.  A  note  of  distrust  and  dis- 
dain, ever  present  in  relations  between  townsmen 
and  countrymen,  or  vice  versa,  was  apparent  in 
his  voice. 

"  I  have  information  regarding  some  tobacco 
smugglers,"  replied  the  Fellah,  in  a  low  tone. 
"  But  we  must  speak  apart,  if  you  would  hear 
all." 

Abd-el-Kareem,  who  was  in  the  custom  of 
receiving  information  from  outsiders — spies  and 
traitors  who  readily  sold  themselves  for  a  few 
pieces  of  silver — walked  a  little  way  down  the 
street,  with  Ehmad  at  his  side.  When  well  out  of 
earshot,  Ehmad  Jabber  told  a  circumstantial  story 
of  how  he  had  discovered  that  certain  "  enemies  " 
of  his  were  on  their  way  from  the  direction  of 
Damascus  with  a  consignment  of  tobacco  ;  how 
he  had  followed  them  under  cover  of  the  darkness 
and,  through  overhearing  a  conversation  in  an 
olive-grove,  had  learnt  the  hour  at  which  they 
intended  to  smuggle  their  cargo  over  the  Golden 
Gate. 

"  With  the  swiftness  of  an  eagle,  I  left  them  to 
talk  over  their  evil  designs,"  continued  Ehmad. 
"  For  I  was  anxious  that  the  Effendi  should  receive 
the  news  and  be  ready  to  place  his  aU-powerful 
hand  on  these  miscreants.  But  I  have  a  condition 
to  make — and  only  on  that  condition  can  I  lead 
you,  at  the  appointed  hour,  to  the  place  where  the 


A   TRUSTFUL    EFFENDI  65 

smugglers  will  pass  their  goods  over  the  walls, — 
namely,  that  you  come  alone  and  that  when  I  have 
pointed  out  the  band  you  will  allow  me  to  depart 
and  hide.  For  I  fear  the  vengeance  of  my 
enemies  and  would  flee  from  them  as  before  a 
leper." 

Abd-el-Kareem  Effendi  readily  consented  to 
this  quite  natural  condition.  Ehmad  was  a 
born  actor  and  the  manner  in  which  he  displayed 
fear  at  every  mention  of  his  terrible  enemies  would 
have  deceived  a  much  astuter  man  than  the 
Inspector.  Besides,  the  Effendi  was  in  a  con- 
dition, psychologically,  to  be  deceived.  For 
months  he  had  been  on  the  look  out  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  distinguish  himself  and  win  protection  ; 
and  here,  at  last,  he  saw  his  chance  of  rising  to  a 
higher  position  and  escaping  from  his  generally 
humdrum  Ufe. 

The  two  men  promised  each  other  strict  secrecy, 
and  the  Effendi  having  told  his  informant  to  be 
sure  to  call  him  at  the  appointed  hour,  they  parted. 
And  whilst  Ehmad,  with  a  faint  smile  on  his  hand- 
some face,  hied  to  a  favourite  coffee-house,  where 
he  knew  he  would  be  sure  to  meet  more  than  one 
person  interested  in  the  illicit  tobacco  trade,  the 
overjoyed  Inspector  hastened  away  to  give  orders 
to  all  his  forces  to  lie  in  ambush  near  St.  Stephen's 
Gate  and  to  keep  a  sharp  look  out  in  the  direction 
of  the  Damascus  road,  whence  the  Fellah  had  told 
him  the  smugglers  were  coming. 


66  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

V 

Meanwhile,  Muhammad  Moosa  was  still  in  camp 
at  Battir,  south  west  of  Jerusalem.  The  evening 
meal  was  in  course  of  preparation, — a  frugal  meal 
of  grapes  and  cakes  baked  on  coals,  just  like  those 
prepared  for  the  Prophet  Elijah.^  Every  way- 
faring Fellah,  carrying  his  flour  in  a  leather  bag, 
the  Jrab,  made  of  the  skin  of  a  kid,  knows  how  to 
prepare  these  unleavened  cakes  and,  like  the 
children  of  Israel,^  bake  them  on  a  roadside 
fire. 

When  the  sun  had  set,  the  sacks  of  tobacco  were 
again  brought  forth,  and  quickly  and  silently 
the  camels  were  loaded.  The  men  inspected  their 
weapons.  Swords  were  slightly  oiled,  so  that 
they  could  be  easily  drawn  from  the  wooden 
scabbards.  The  flints  of  the  firearms  were  tested, 
and  every  gun  and  pistol  was  loaded,  so  that, 
in  case  of  need,  everyone  would  have  firearms  in 
double.  There  is  no  more  suspicious  person  in  the 
world  than  a  Fellah.  Friend  or  foe,  smuggler  or 
honest  camel-driver,  are  all  to  be  avoided  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night. 

The  three  villages  of  Battir,  Welejeh  and  Malha 
could  be  passed  without  being  observed,  for  all 
are  about  a  mile  or  so  from  the  main  road  or  the 
dry  river-bed,  and  Fellahin  go  to  bed  early.  The 
German  colony  on  the  Plain  of  Rephaim  presented 
no  very  serious  difficulty,  although  the  colonists 

^  I.  Kings  xix.  6.  ^  Exodus  xii.  39. 


GATES    OF    JERUSALEM  67 

had  lights  and,  even  up  to  a  late  hour,  were  about 
their  homes,  or  in  the  beer-houses.  Foreigners  in 
Palestine  know  little  or  nothing  of  the  doings  or 
even  the  language  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  coun- 
try. But  there  was  some  danger  in  crossing  the 
Valley  of  Hinnom  and  in  skirting  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem, — past  Zion's  Gate,  the  Dung  Gate, 
Ophel  and  the  comer  of  the  Temple.  The  senti- 
nels, however,  were  dozing  and  the  night  was 
fairly  dark,  consequently  all  these  danger  points 
were  passed  without  incident. 

Since  the  doors  of  Jerusalem  close  about  sunset, 
so  that  nobody  can  enter  the  city  save  through 
the  Jaffa  Gate,  on  the  western  side,  the  Turkish 
sentinels  posted  near  the  five  other  entrances 
are  not  habitually  vigilant ;  the  nearer  midnight 
approaches  the  more  they  are  inclined  to  slumber. 
On  the  August  night  when  Sherif  Muhammad 
Moosa  and  his  six  camels  drew  near  to  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem  they  were  all  sound  asleep.  The  only 
watchers  were  Abd-el-Kareem  Effendi  and  Ehmad 
Jabber,  waiting  above  the  Golden  Gate,  and  the 
Inspector's  soldiers  at  St.  Stephen's  Gate,  futilely 
peering  into  the  darkness  and  straining  their  ears 
to  catch  the  sound  of  camels  and  men  on  the 
march, — a  sound  which  was  never  to  come.  The 
only  other  wakeful  living  things  on  the  eastern 
walls  of  the  Holy  City  were  hundreds  of  ravens 
which  croaked  and  flew  up  and  down  the  for- 
tifications as  though  conscious  that   this   quiet 


68  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

place  was  for  once  to  be  the  scene  of  some  unusual 
occurrence. 

Nearer  and  nearer  the  silent-footed  camels 
approached.  Moosa  and  his  men  spoke  not  a  word. 
All  their  thought  and  energy  was  centred  on  the 
idea  that  they  might  have  to  fight, — on  the  danger 
of  their  enterprise, — on  their  eerie  surroundings. 
They  could  not  suppress  a  kind  of  superstitious 
terror,  inspired  by  the  indistinct  outlines  of  the 
walls  and  buildings.  The  round  head-like  stones 
which  project  over  the  tombs  in  the  Mohammedan 
cemetery  (the  tombs  of  believers  haunted  by  the 
ghosts  of  those  who  had  done  evil  in  their  lifetime) 
looked  like  so  many  guardians  peeping  out  to 
detect  them  ;  the  sacred  dome  of  the  Mosque  of 
Omar  on  the  Haram  above  seemed  like  a  gigantic 
mountain  ready  to  topple  over  and  crush  them. 
Sherif  Moosa  wondered  whether  Ehmad  Jabber  had 
succeeded  in  his  mission.  Where  was  the  Inspec- 
tor and  his  soldiers  at  that  moment  ?  Would 
they  have  to  fight,  after  all  ? 

The  Muazzin  on  the  minaret  beyond  the  pre- 
cincts of  the  Temple  called  the  faithful  to  prayer  : 
*'  Hei  u  ^aUa  saleh, — Awake  and  to  your 
prayers  !  "     It   was   midnight. 

Just  then  the  well-known  voice  of  Ehmad  rang 
out  through  the  stillness  of  the  night  : — 

*'  Friend  or  foe  ?  " 

**  Friend,"  answered  Muhammad,  who  was  still 
with  the  leading  camel. 


o-*-** 


o 

-Si 


OVER    THE    WALL  69 

And  quietly  and  quickly  he  ordered  his  men  to 
make  the  camels  kneel  against  the  walls,  awaiting 
the  signal  for  passing  the  tobacco  into  the  city. 

"  They  are  here,  Effendi/'  whispered  Ehmad  to 
Abd-el-Kareem.  "  But  they  must  have  deviated 
from  the  Damascus  road  and  so  escaped  the 
attention  of  the  soldiers  at  St.  Stephen's  Gate. 
However,  they  shall  not  slip  through  our  fingers. 
I  have  an  idea.  I  will  let  you  down  the  walls  by  a 
rope  ;  then  I  will  go  and  inform  the  soldiers  at 
St.  Stephen's  Gate ;  and  whilst  you  are  meeting 
them  below  I  will  rouse  the  sentinels,  who  surely 
must  be  slumbering  at  their  posts.  In  this  way 
we  shall  cut  off  their  retreat — they  will  be  as 
though  within  the  meshes  of  a  net.  Quick, 
Effendi ! — we  must  act  promptly,  otherwise  the 
enemy  will  escape  us." 

Already  Ehmad  had  drawn  a  rope  from  beneath 
his  Thob  and  was  fastening  one  end  around 
Abd-el-Kareem' s  waist.  The  Inspector,  over- 
anxious about  his  future,  at  once  fell  in  with  the 
Fellah's  proposals,  and  a  few  moments  later  was 
being  slowly  lowered  over  the  walls.  But  when 
half-way  down  his  progress  stopped.  The  cun- 
ning Ehmad  Jabber  had  gained  his  ends.  Securely 
fastening  the  rope  to  a  projecting  piece  of  rock, 
he  left  the  Effendi  to  swing  in  the  air  and  grapple 
against  the  wall's  rough  masonry. 

A  few  minutes  later,  and  not  fifty  yards  away 
from  where  Abd-el-Kareem,  foaming  with  rage, 


70  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

was  hanging,  Ehmad's  strong  young  arms  had 
assisted  Yesmain  Ah  to  scale  the  walls  of  Jeru- 
salem. Together  they  hauled  up  the  sacks  of 
tobacco  and  passed  them  through  the  Temple 
to  the  well-known  shops. 

Sherif  Muhammad  Moosa's  camels  and  camel- 
drivers  were  half-way  home  again  when,  late 
the  next  morning,  the  scorched  and  exhausted 
Inspector  was  delivered  from  his  trying  position. 
His  first  impulse  was  to  make  known  this  outrage 
on  a  Government  official  and  seek  out  the  offending 
Ehmad  and  his  accomplices,  but,  feeling  as  foolish 
as  a  fox  taken  in  by  a  hen,  he  wisely  decided  to 
say  nothing  more  about  it,  and  thus  the  truth  was 
long  withheld  from  the  public. 


IV 

EHMAD    IMHAMAD'S    VISION 

I  HAD  just  read  the  96th  verse  of  the  2nd  Sura  of 
the  Koran  and  was  puzzled  as  to  its  exact  meaning. 
European  translators  have  not  always  been  pre- 
cise^ either  in  their  translation  of  the  Torah  (Pen- 
tateuch) or  in  that  of  the  Koran  ;  in  spite  of  all 
their  efforts,  oracles  have  remained  obscure. 
However,  here  is  very  nearly  the  wording  of  the 
original  text  which  set  me  thinking  : — 

"  They  (unbelieving  Jews)  have  followed  the 
works  which  the  demons  prepared  against  King 
Solomon.  (These  works,  as  Yahia  explains,  were 
books  of  magic  which  the  demons  had  hidden 
under  the  throne  of  Solomon,  After  the  king's 
death  they  brought  them  forch  and  made  the 
people  believe  that  the  king's  knowledge  came  from 
these  books.)  Solomon  remained  fervent  and  the 
demons  alone  were  unbeUevers.  They  taught 
men  the  art  of  magic  and  the  knowledge  of  the 
two  angels  Haroot  and  Maroot  in  Babylon. 
(Haroot  and  Maroot,  Yahia  continues  to  say, 
were  sent  to  the  earth,  to  Babylon,  to  teach  justice. 
They  indeed  judged  with  equity  until  Venus,  in 
all  her  splendour,  came  to  plead  against  her  hus- 
band. The  Angels  were  dazzled  by  her  beauty  and 
charms,  and  told  her  of  their  feelings,  whereupon 
she  vanished.     Consequently  they  were  condemned 

71 


72  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

to  remain  in  Babylon  until  Judgment  Day.) 
The  Angels  told  everybody  before  teaching  him  : 
We  are  the  temptation,  do  not  act  against  the 
belief.  They  taught  concerning  those  things  which 
bring  forth  division  between  a  woman  and  her 
husband.  But,  without  Allah's  will,  they  could 
harm  nobody.  They  taught  what  was  harmful, 
nothing  useful.  They  did  not  know  that  whoever 
buys  books  of  magic  cannot  possess  manners  and 
clothes  in  a  future  life." 

How  comes  it,  thought  I,  on  reading  this  con- 
demnation of  magic,  based  on  an  older  passage 
in  the  Hebrew  Bible,  ^  that  Ehmad  Imhamad,  a 
dervish  of  the  Bedawi  order  who  had  given  me 
much  information  regarding  those  of  his  calling, 
should  possess  books  of  magic  and  foretell  events 
by  reading  them  in  the  sand  ?  Immediately  the 
idea  of  consulting  him  on  the  subject  occurred  to 
me.  But  where  was  he  hkely  to  be  found  ?  As 
he  was  a  wandering  dervish  and  gained  a  livelihood 
by  his  art,  he  might  be  wandering  about  the  Plains 
of  Sharon,  somewhere  between  Ekron,  the  ancient 
Baal-zebub,  ^  Naby-Rubin,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
River  Rubin,  and  Sheikh  Sidna  'Ali,  north  of 
Jaffa.  Unless  he  were  on  the  banks  of  the  green 
River  *Auja  ?  There  was  but  one  way  of  deciding 
the  question, — to  jump  astride  my  horse  and  seek 

^  Deuteronomy  xviii.  10-11. 

2  II.  Kings  i.  16.  Flies  (zebub)  are  so  numerous  there  that 
it  is  no  wonder  they  were  considered  as  a  power,  and  power  is  a 
god. 


THE    DERVISH  73 

him  out.  Accordingly  I  rode  to  his  native  village, 
Beit  Dejan,  near  to  the  place  where  Dagon  had  his 
temple  in  the  days  of  the  PhiHstines.  But  he  had 
departed  that  morning  towards  the  south,  possibly 
to  Lydda  or  Ramleh,  where  he  had  many  clients. 
However,  after  another  hour  in  the  saddle,  I 
espied  him  sitting  near  Bir-ez-Zeibak,  known  as  the 
well  where  St.  George  met  the  dragon. 

He  was  dreaming  in  the  sun,  his  short  spear, 
ornamented  with  green  and  red  ribbons  round  the 
base  of  the  blade,  stuck  in  the  ground  near  him. 
His  long  black  hair,  parted  in  the  middle,  fell  over 
his  shoulders,  and,  since  it  had  been  freshly 
anointed  with  oil  that  very  morning,  shone  in  the 
sunshine.  He  wore  only  a  white  flowing  garment 
with  a  leather  belt.  Beside  him  lay  a  black  mantle 
and  a  satchel  containing  several  tin  cases,  in  which 
he  kept  his  dervish  diplomas,  a  few  pieces  of 
incense  and  alum,  a  few  dates  and  figs,  and  a 
small  square  book,  tightly  wrapped  in  green  and 
red  cloth  and  tied  with  silk  strings.  His  bare 
feet,  as  well  as  his  brown  face  and  arms,  were 
scrupulously  clean,  for  he  had  not  forgotten  any 
of  his  regular  five  prayers,  including  his  ablutions, 
for  a  very  long  time.  In  his  right  hand  he  held  a 
short  almond  rod,  the  Mehjane,  which  most 
dervishes  carry  about  with  them,  since  it  is  said 
to  have  the  power  to  heal  the  sick  and  drive  away 
serpents.     It  reminded  me  of  the  rod  of  Moses.  ^ 

*  Exodus  vii. 


74  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Alighting  from  my  mare,  I  tethered  her  to  an 
oUve  tree  and  walked  towards  him  with  a  greeting. 

"  Good  morning,  oh  Sheikh  !  " 

"  A  hundred  mornings  with  peace  be  yours, 
Abu  Tuna,"  replied  Ehmad  Imhamad. 

He  called  me  by  the  name  under  which  I 
generally  went  in  the  East  :  Abu  Tuna, — i.e., 
the  Father  of  Fortuna,  the  name  of  my  eldest 
daughter. 

I  handed  him  my  tobacco-pouch  and  apologized 
for  having  forgotten  the  matches.  Without  wast- 
ing words,  he  opened  a  small  leather  purse  and 
bringing  out  a  square  flint  stone,  a  piece  of  steel 
and  the  fibres  of  a  dry  plant  set  them  down  beside 
us.  After  we  had  rolled  our  cigarettes  in  silence, 
he  struck  fire  and  handed  me  the  small  brand, 
saying  :— 

"  May  its  heat  spare  you." 

"  And  may  you  never  feel  its  evil,"  I  replied, 
as  I  prepared  to  fight  my  cigarette. 

A  few  more  compliments  passed  between  us, 
after  which  we  sat  smoking  in  silence  ;  and  as  the 
blue  clouds  went  up  in  circles  both  of  us  meditated, 
— I  thinking  of  how  to  begin  the  conversation  and 
he  of  the  questions  that  the  Franji  (Frank)  had 
come  to  ask  him.  It  was  Ehmad  who  at  last 
broke  the  silence. 

"  Peace  to  you.     How  are  you  ?  " 

"  God's  peace  be  with  you,"  said  I.  **  Thanks 
to  Allah,  the  Lord  of  the  Universe, — II  Hamdu 


Photo 


J.  H.  Halladjian,  Ihii/u 


A  Dervish 


ORIENTAL    COMPLIMENTS  75 

lillah  Rab  el  'Alameen, — I  came  merely  to  see 
about  your  health." 

"  Allah  be  praised !  True  friends  find  each 
other.  Your  poHteness  and  good  education  speak 
out  of  you." 

"  Oh  !  Sheikh,  I  am  but  a  child  compared  to 
you  and  your  exquisite  ways.  Now  that  I  have 
seen  you,  I  beg  you  to  allow  me  to  continue  on  my 
way." 

Saying  which  I  rose  and  stretched  out  my  hand. 
But  he  took  it  and  pulled  me  down  to  him,  saying : 

"  Stay  awhile.  It  is  some  time  since  we  talked. 
Are  you  in  a  hurry  ?  Remember  that  Hurry  is 
from  Satan.  God  preserve  us  !  Put  away  your 
Franji  ideas  and  let  us  have  a  chat." 

Only  too  willing  to  do  as  he  bid  me,  I  sat  down 
and  touched  his  bag. 

"  Ah  !  Sheikh,  how  full  of  knowledge  this  is. 
What  is  there  unknown  to  you  ?  " 

And  I  took  out  his  book  of  magic. 

"  No,"  he  said,  "  avoid  that  evil  work.  You 
know  that,  though  I  read  it  and  by  its  help  find 
the  clue  to  many  mysteries  unknown  to  the  sons  of 
Adam,  it  really  is  wicked  to  use  it.  And  I  have 
taken  a  secret  oath  that  I  will  destroy  it  as  soon,  as 
Fate  (Naseeb)  calls  me  to  a  better  way.  To  tell 
you  the  truth,  they  (the  Jan  or  Genii)  have  revealed 
to  me  so  many  startling  things  that  I  think  it  is 
more  comfortable  not  to  know  an3rthing  more 
about  them.     You  know,  quite  as  well  as  myself. 


76  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

that  when  Iblis  (the  devil)  Hved  quietly  in  Paradise, 
long  before  there  were  human  beings,  he  had 
many  children,  who  went  about  in  peace  in  gardens 
with  running  waters  of  eternal  life,  purified  wives 
and  contentment,  side  by  side  with  Allah  who 
looked  with  love  on  his  servants.  But  when  Allah 
created  Adam  and  Eve,  and  commanded  Iblis 
to  worship  Adam,  he  refused  and  blasphemed  with 
his  children,^  whereupon  he  was  called  Shatam, 
or  Blasphemer,  and  sent  to  Earth  with  all  his 
people.  But  as  he  drank  Eternal  Life  Water  he 
roams  about  until  Resurrection  Day  doing  what- 
ever harm  he  can  to  the  sons  of  Adam.  He  it 
was  who  taught  Haroot  and  Maroot  the  art  of 
sorcery  and  magic,  so  that  harm  would  continue." 

I  was  glad  that  Ehmad  Imhamad  had  touched 
on  the  subject  I  had  at  heart,  and  I  knew  that 
once  he  had  started  he  would  tell  me  much  more, 
provided  that  I  did  not  show  eagerness  to  know  his 
secrets  at  once. 

**  You  know  the  'Ajami  whose  shrine  is  up  in 
the  hills  of  the  Jerusalem  region/'  he  went  on, 
in  a  low  voice.  "  Well,  thanks  to  my  book  and 
cabaUstic  signs,  he  appeared  to  me  right  in  his 
shrine,  in  the  forest  above  Beit-Mahsir.  It  was  a 
Thursday  evening  and  I  sat  there  beating  my 
drum,  accompanying  cymbals  and  drums  which 
were  being  beaten  by  unseen  legions  in  honour  of 
the  Wely,   as  the  spirits  of  departed  dervishes 

1  Koran,  Sura  ii.  verse  32. 


THE    'AJAMI  77 

usually  do  when  humans  do  not  accompHsh  their 
devotions.  I  was  just  in  the  act  of  burning 
incense  when  suddenly  a  bright  yellowish  light 
burst  forth  near  the  Mehrab  (prayer-niche)  and  the 
'Ajami  himself  appeared  in  long  flowing  robes, 
amidst  the  clash  of  golden  cymbals  and  the  beating 
of  a  silver  drum  covered  with  gazelle  hide.  He 
bowed  and  rose,  surrounded  by  green  and  red  fires, 
the  smoke  of  which  filled  all  the  Mosque  (Jame*) ; 
only,  unhke  ordinary  smoke,  it  did  not  hurt 
the  eyes  but  gave  forth  a  precious  odour  of  rose- 
water  and  myrrh.  *  Neither  move  nor  speak,' 
said  the  'Ajami,  in  a  solemn  voice.  *  Beware  of 
interrupting  me,  either  by  signs  or  by  words. 
Listen  to  all  that  I  have  to  tell  you,  otherwise, 
at  the  least  indication  of  awe  or  astonishment,  I 
shall  strike  you — perhaps  dead — and  all  will 
vanish.'  Acquiescing  in  my  heart,  I  felt  soft  silk 
cushions  all  about  me,  and  when  I  was  tired  my 
position  was  changed,  as  if  someone  had  guessed 
my  feehngs.  At  the  same  time  the  'Ajami  began 
to  speak  in  a  clear  voice,  softer  than  the  evening 
breeze  which  murmured  in  the  fir-trees  round  his 
abode,  more  melodious  than  the  song  of  the 
thistle-finch  and  yet  as  energetic  as  if  his  words 
had  been  of  steel.  He  gave  me  permission  to 
repeat  every  word  of  what  he  said,  if  I  chose  to 
do  so  when  back  again  among  humans  ;  but  at 
the  same  time,  as  I  was  then  a  sorcerer,  he  called 
upon   me   to   abandon   magic   and   follow   God. 

7— (2131) 


78  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Of  course,  as  long  as  I  lived  by  my  wicked  art,  I 
could  not  utter  the  name  of  Allah.  My  *  God 
preserve  us  from  him  '  ^  was  not  efficacious,  so  I 
left  that  for  others  to  pronounce.  But  thanks  to 
Him,  the  Creator  of  the  Universe,  I  am  back  again, 
and  thanks  to  my  Lord  the  ^Ajami,  though  I  am 
not  of  his  dervishes,  I  found  the  right  way  once  more. 
"  '  Listen,'  said  the  'Ajami.  '  If  I  change  my 
place  or  go  further  off,  do  not  attempt  to  follow  me, 
for  I  will  let  you  hear  me  no  matter  how  far  away 
I  am.'  And  saying  this  he  took  breath  and  stood 
above  the  ground,  with  his  spear  turned  in  the 
direction  of  El  Kuds  esh  Shareef  (Jerusalem). 
'My  name  is  'Ajami  and  a  Stranger  I  always  was. 
I  know  that  the  sons  of  Adam  think  my  name 
means  ''  a  Persian  "  or  "  the  bearer  of  date-stones," 
but  I  know  best.  I  was  created  in  Paradise  with 
legions  of  other  beings  ;  and  in  his  wisdom  Allah 
knew  that  some  would  be  his  servants  for  ever, 
some  were  destined  to  go  down  on  Earth  and  be 
human  beings  for  a  time,  as  prophets,  saints, 
welies  ;  some  would  revolt  against  his  orders  for  a 
fraction  of  eternity  and  be  converted  again,  whilst 
others  would  be  turned  into  hell-fire  and,  with 
Iblis,  do  harm  among  mankind.  Paradise  is  the 
garden  above  the  skies  and  from  the  central  roots 
of  the  central  tree  flow  brooks  of  milk  and  honey. 
As  I  was  among  the  Just,  I  was  allowed  to  drink 

*  Ehmad  Imhamad  would  not  willingly  repeat  Satan's  name. 
He  almost  invariably  said  either  "  him  "  or  "  them." 


A    MONSTROUS    ANGEL  79 

the  water  of  the  Kowthar  River,  the  principal 
stream  in  Eden,  which  flows  in  a  bed  of  precious 
stones  with  the  very  banks  all  strewn  with  gems. 
Its  water — giving  eternal  life — is  sweeter  than 
honey,  whiter  than  milk,  colder  than  snow, 
softer  than  cream,  and  I  carried  it  to  my  lips  in 
silver  cups  deposited  there  for  the  use  of  the  Just. 
As  I  was  a  Stranger,  El  Kadri,  El  Badawi,  El 
Dsuki  and  El  Erfa^i  were  jealous  that  I  should 
receive  the  same  privilege  as  many  others  of  the 
Just  and  always  strove  against  me,  knowing  that  I 
was  destined  to  go  to  Earth  and  become  a  Wely. 
I  again  met  these  leaders  of  dervish  orders  in 
Palestine  and  they  fought  against  me  and  still 
continue  to  do  so. 

"  '  Now  recollect  that  when  Allah  created  the 
first  Angel  as  was  revealed  to  our  prophet  later, 
he  was  so  enormous  that  he  had  70,000  heads  and 
each  head  had  70,000  faces,  each  face  70,000  mouths 
and  each  mouth  70,000  tongues.  Each  tongue 
could  speak  70,000  dialects,  and  as  God's  praise 
was  being  sung  by  every  tongue  a  new  spiritual 
creature,  an  Angel,  was  formed.  Thus  were  the 
seven  heavens  peopled.  But  one  of  the  clans  had 
Ibhs,  with  his  children,  the  Jan,  as  chief,  and  when 
Allah  finally  created  Adam  and  ordered  Iblis 
to  worship  this  last  creation,  he  refused  and  was 
turned  out  of  heaven  with  his  host  to  hve  on  the 
islands  and  on  the  mountains  of  the  earth,  ^  or 

*  Koran,  Sura  ii.  32. 


80  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

to  go  to  and  fro  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  ^  where 
they  will  have  time  to  repent  until  Judgment  Day, 
whilst  the  most  wicked  were  sent  to  Jehunum 
(HeU)  to  fiU  that  place.  2  ''  Aouzi  Billah  !— My 
strength  is  in  God  !  "  exclaimed  the  'Ajami  at  this 
point,  and  his  voice  thundered  through  the  still- 
ness of  the  night,  for  the  dervishes  had  vanished 
and  only  the  sacred  yellow  light  continued  to 
illuminate  the  abode  clearer  than  the  brightest 
July   day. 

**  *  Adam  was  as  tall  as  a  palm  tree  and  Eve 
was  very  beautiful,'  continued  my  teacher.  '  But 
they  ate  of  the  forbidden  fruit  and  were  put  down 
on  earth.  ^  As  the  sons  of  Adam  multiply  and  die 
the  righteous  go  back  to  Paradise,  where,  as  a 
recompense,  Allah  has  commanded  that  the  most 
delicious  fruits  shall  be  presented  to  them  on  a 
silver  plate  by  an  angel.  None  but  good  believers 
and  such  as  have  observed  the  Koran  and  fasted 
in  Ramadan  will  receive  the  fruit.  The  Moslem 
who  opens  it  sees  a  splendid  Houri  come  out. 
These  Houris  are  of  four  different  colours,  the 
sacred  colours  of  Islam :  the  first  white,  the 
second  green,  the  third  yellow,  and  the  fourth  red. 
Their  bodies  are  composed  of  saffron,  musk,  amber 
and  incense  ;  and  should  they  spit  on  the  ground 
the  whole  place  will  smell  of  musk.  They  have  no 
veils  and  show  their  black  eyebrows ;  they  rest 
under  pearl-embroidered  tents,  containing  seventy 

1  Job  i.  7.       2  Sura  vii.   178.        ^  gura  vii.  23. 


HIGH    PLACES  81 

couches  of  rubies,  each  with  seventy  mattresses, 
on  which  seventy  slaves  attend  them,  with  their 
maids,  each  holding  a  new  suit  of  hght  transparent 
clothes  for  a  change  ;  and  they  are  transparent 
unto  the  bones. 

**  '  But  in  spite  of  all  heavenly  delights,  those 
children  of  Allah  came  to  the  earth  and  took  wives 
from  the  sons  of  Adam,  ^  and  though  they  had  been 
taught  Allah's  laws  and  religion,  they  soon  followed 
the  teachings  of  the  Jan  and  the  Shairim, 
who  led  them  to  evil.^  They  worshipped  Baal 
and  Ashteroth,  and  put  up  idols  on  the  high 
mountains,  upon  the  hills,  and  under  every  green 
tree.^  Of  course,  my  abode  here  in  Beit-Mahsir 
is  like  the  abodes  of  all  the  Just  men  and  Welies 
spread  all  over  Palestine  ;  we  have  simply  taken 
the  places  of  the  older  gods.  For,  in  spite  of  the 
efforts  of  the  lawgivers  to  break  down  the  altars, 
destroy  the  pillars  and  burn  the  groves,  mankind 
has  always  hked  these  retired  places  best  and  come 
back  to  them.  Now,  when  they  continued, 
Allah  sent  the  Torah  by  Moses.  To  him  be 
prayers  and  peace  !  But  without  success.  The 
Jews  continued  in  the  old  ways  and  worshipped 
the  gods  whom  their  forefathers  had  worshipped. 
Once  he  changed  them  into  monkeys  for  having 
worked  on  a  sabbath  on  the  shores  of  the  Red 
Sea.     But  still  they  continued  in  their  idolatrous 

1  Genesis  vii.  2.  2  Leviticus  xvii.  7. 

'  Deuteronomy  xii.  2. 


82  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

ways.  After  showing  patience  for  500  years 
He  found  them  worshipping  Shairim.^  So  Allah 
sent  the  Gospel  (Ingile)  by  'Esa,  the  son  of  Mary. 
Prayer  and  peace  be  to  him.  But  the  Christians 
again  set  up  idols  in  their  temples  and  worshipped 
in  the  high  places.  Finally,  the  Prophet — to  him 
be  prayers  and  peace  ! — came  and  received  the 
Koran  from  the  heavenly  table.  ^  But  still  the 
people  beUeved  that  they  (the  Jan)  could  be  wor- 
shipped and  still  they  continue  to  believe  in  their 
power — Christians,  Jews,  and  Moslems  alike. 

"  '  The  Jan  were  submitted  to  Solomon.  Peace 
be  to  him  !  They  were  ordered  by  Allah  to  work 
for  him,  and  how  could  he  have  built  the  temple, 
the  pillars,  the  molten  sea  and  his  palaces  without 
their  aid  ?  ^  When  Solomon  was  overlooking 
his  Jan  workers,  now  and  then  one  would  disobey, 
and  immediately  he  was  sent  to  hell.  They  were 
so  frightened  by  this  severity  that  when  'Ozrael 
the  Angel  of  Death,  cut  short  Solomon's  days, 
as  he  was  sitting  leaning  on  his  stick,  he  remained 
for  forty  years  in  the  position  of  an  overseer 
though  dead,  and  had  not  a  worm  gnawed  the 
stick,  causing  the  dead  king  to  fall  down,  they 
would  never  have  known  what  had  happened  and 
would  have  continued  their  work.  * 

"  *  When  'Esa  was  on  earth  (to  him  be  prayers 

1  I.  Chronicles,  xi.  15.       ^  Sura  vii.   1. 
'  Sura  xxxiv.   12.       I.  Kings  vii.   13-22. 
*  Sura  xxxiv.   13. 


JAN    CONVERTS  83 

and  peace  !)  the  Jan,  in  a  group  of  seven,  as  they 
always  hke  to  be,  took  possession  of  Mary  Mag- 
dalene and  were  driven  out  by  him.  ^  Of  course, 
some  were  converted  to  Judaism,  others  to  Chris- 
tianity, and  when  the  Prophet  (to  whom  be  peace  !) 
was  reading  the  Koran  at  daybreak  under  a  palm- 
tree,  seven  Jewish  Jan  listened  and  were  so 
impressed  that  they  rose  and  were  converted  to 
Islam  2  and  continued  to  preach  and  make  con- 
verts among  their  sectarians,  so  that  many 
became  Moslems.  ^  And  whenever  Mohammed 
prayed  these  Jan  would  respectfully  arise  and 
listen  in  awe.  They  first  lived  in  Arabia  and 
Nineveh,  but  by  and  by  approached  and  followed 
in  the  traces  of  mankind.  They  tried  to  enter 
Paradise  again,  but  were  repelled  by  meteors, 
which  we  still  see. 

"  '  Happily  there  are  innumerable  good  angels, 
of  whom  70,000  pray  daily  in  the  celestial  Kaaba. 
They  have  brought  down  to  Mecca  the  model  of 
an  earthly  Kaaba,  which  was  built  by  Jan  by 
divine  order.  Every  man  has  his  guardian  angels  : 
two  by  day  and  two  by  night,  who  write  down 
every  deed  and  carry  it,  alternately,  to  the  throne 
of  Allah,  awaiting  Judgment  Day.  Every 
believer  looks  at  his  angels  at  the  end  of  his 
prayers  ;  he  turns  his  head  right  and  left,  for  then 
they  are  on  his  shoulders. 

"  '  In  his  divine  providence.  He   has  allowed 

1  Luke  viii.  2.       2  Sura  xlvi.  28.       ^  Sura  Ixxii.   13. 


84  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

the  different  spirits  to  take  different  forms  to 
accomplish  their  various  functions  ;  and  as  they 
generally  live  in  caves  and  all  places  underground 
where  the  sons  of  Adam  live,  they  very  often  share 
not  only  human  joy  and  sorrow  but  also  partake 
of  human  food  and  on  solemn  occasions  use  human 
garments.  For  instance,  should  the  imprudent, 
when  sowing  or  reaping,  threshing  or  carrying 
things  home,  pouring  out  or  preparing  bread, 
laying  it  in  the  oven  or  putting  it  before  the  family, 
drinking  or  lying  down  to  sleep,  rising  or  washing, 
starting  from  home,  dressing  or  undressing,  omit 
to  say  Bism  Illah  (In  the  name  of  Allah),  the 
ever-ready  Jan  have  a  good  opportunity  and 
carry  away  their  share  to  feast  on  it.  And  good 
times  they  have,  for  there  are  many  wicked 
people  among  the  three  churches  here  in  the  land. 
Certainly  the  Jan  make  no  difference  between 
them.  Every  denomination  has  to  use  its  own  for- 
mula— they  cannot  approach  a  Jew  who  has 
Adonai  in  mind,  nor  a  Christian  who  never  forgets 
*'  the  name  of  the  cross."  They  seem  to  take 
pleasure  in  teasing  impmdent  believers,  but  will 
not  trouble  with  freethinkers. 

'*  *  As  on  earth,  there  are  men  and  women 
among  the  Jan,  and  sometimes  they  intermarry 
with  humans.  Does  not  the  Torah  say  that  they 
came  to  marry  ?  ^  Female  Jan  sometimes  fall 
in  love  with  humans,  and  are  very  jealous  and 

^  Genesis  vi.  2. 


HAUNTED    SITES  85 

strike  them,  if  they  smile  at  other  women,  so  that 
these  men  have  the  "  earth's  sickness."  ^  When 
living  in  human  habitations  they  prefer  the  hearth 
and  the  threshold  ;  therefore,  humans  never  step 
on  the  threshold  on  entering  a  room,  and  never 
pour  water  on  the  hearth,  which  would  be  followed 
by  immediate  punishment,  as  the  Jan  will  not 
suffer  their  dwelling-place  to  be  soiled.  They 
have  always  Uved  there.  Some  are  behevers,  ^ 
and  as  you  do  not  know  them  you  had  better 
never  interfere  with  them.  This  was  always 
known.  'Did  not  the  old  lawgiver  Moses  (to 
him  be  peace  !)  forbid  his  people  to  revile  the 
Alhim,  which  are  the  same  as  the  Jan.  ^ 

"  '  Wherever  Nature  has  been  most  wonderful 
the  Jan  will  certainly  be  found.  Springs  of 
water,  waterfalls,  rivers,  wells,  deserts  and  curious 
rocks,  cliffs  and  seas,  caverns  and  mountain  tops 
are  all  Maskoon  (inhabited  by  Jan).  They  are 
able  to  take  whatever  form  they  please.  Thus, 
in  Tiberias,  legions  of  Jan  warm  the  hot  springs 
and  are  vigilant  not  to  miss  the  imprudent  intruder 
if  he  forgets  his  duty.  But,  curious  to  say,  there 
no  "  Bismillah "  is  necessary.  In  olden  days 
on  Mount  Sinai  it  was  forbidden  to  take  the  name 
of  Jehovah  in  vain,  *  but  the  command  becoming 
useless,  as  the  people  continued  in  their  evil  ways, 
they  aU  of  them  now,  in  synagogues,  mosques  or 

1  Epilepsy.  ^  Sura  Ixxii.   14. 

'  Exodus  xxii.  28.  *  Exodus  xx.  7. 


86  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

churches,  use  and  abuse  it.  But  Allah  is  merciful 
and  of  great  kindness. 

"  '  The  precious  metals,  mines  and  treasures 
are  specially  guarded  by  Guardian  Spirits  or 
Rasads.  All  take  forms  :  here  as  a  ram  butting, 
there  as  a  camel  or  a  foal,  again  as  an  old  Sheikh 
or  a  young  bride. 

"  '  Away  from  high  roads  and  human  habi- 
tations, on  sandy  wastes  and  rocky  regions  there 
is  the  Ghul,  which,  as  its  name  indicates,  is 
insatiable  and  often  devours  women  and  children. 
Most  of  them  have  names  of  animals  and  are 
called  dog,  cat,  wolf,  fowl,  lion,  ram,  camel,  raven, 
eagle,  serpent  and  so  forth  ;  therefore  you  must 
never  say  to  a  child  ''  I  will  give  you  to  the  wolf" 
or  ^' Raven,  come  and  take  it,"  as  they  obey  to 
the  letter.  The  Ghul  will  certainly  appear  in  the 
form  of  a  wolf  or  that  of  a  raven  and  seize  what, 
thoughtlessly,  he  was  bidden  to  take  away. 

**  *  As  Paradise  has  living  beings,  water,  food 
and  trees,  animals  have  not  been  altogether 
excluded.  But  only  such  as  have  been  of  use  to 
Holy  Men  during  their  sojourn  on  earth  have 
received  admission  and  can  be  seen  there.  First 
of  all  there  is  the  ram,  which  was  sacrificed  by 
Abraham  on  Moriah,  feeding  in  the  meadows,  as 
well  as  the  lamb  of  Ishmael,  the  cow  which  Moses 
presented  to  the  Israelites,^  the  whale  which 
swallowed   Jonah,   the   ant   which   Solomon   set 

^  Numbers  xix.  2. 


ANIMALS    IN    PARADISE  87 

forth  as  an  example,  ^  the  hoopoe  which  was  in  the 
temple  at  Jerusalem,  the  ass  which  carried  Jesus 
to  Jerusalem  on  Palm-Sunday,  the  horse  which 
carried  Elijah  to  heaven,  and  which  was  the 
same  as  El  Khadr  (St.  George)  used  to  fight  the 
dragon,  the  dog  which  watched  at  the  entrance 
to  the  cave  of  the  seven  sleepers,  the  camel  which 
carried  away  Mohammed  in  the  Hegira  from 
Mecca,  and  finally  the  bees  which  have  healing 
virtues  in  their  honey.' ^ 

"  The  'Ajami  now  paused  a  moment  to  see 
what  effect  his  words  had  had  upon  me.  Being 
spiritualised,  I  could  read  his  thoughts,  and  knew 
that  he  would  now  take  me  through  the  air  and 
under  the  ground,  to  shrines  and  sanctuaries,  and 
show  me  every  spot  in  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  land.  On  my  forehead  he  set  an  amulet  of 
paper  on  which  was  written,  *  We  gave  Solomon 
power  over  the  tempest;  it  blew  morning  and 
evening,'  ^  and,  taking  me  up  on  his  shoulders, 
left  the  Makam. 

"  In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  you,  we  were 
worshipping  in  the  Beit  el  Makdas,  the  Holy  of 
Holies  in  Jerusalem,  where  we  saw  myriads  of 
spirits  at  their  devotions.  We  flew  to  the  Dead 
Sea.  The  Jan  were  there,  dancing  and  making 
merry  as  in  Lot's  days.  Suddenly  I  found  myself 
on  Mount  Carmel,  where  the  wicked  spirits  of  the 

^  Proverbs  vi.  6.    ^  Sura  xvi.  70. 
3  Sura  xxxiv.  11. 


88  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

prophets  of  Baal  were  still  delighting  in  the  wor- 
ship of  that  god.     Then  we  came  to  the  borders  of 
Egypt,   south   of  Gaza  ; — a  country  overflowing 
with    Jan,    who    become    more    numerous    once 
you  are  out  of  the  Holy  Land.     It  was  there  that  I 
noticed  how  many  Jan  followed  the  humans,  just 
as  though  they  were  their  shadows,  with  their 
feet  stuck  to  their  feet  and  their  heads  below  the 
earth.     We    saw    them    sorrowing    at    funerals, 
rejoicing  at  weddings,   and  playing  mischievous 
tricks,  especially  among  the  young  people.     Pass- 
ing a  number  of  cemeteries,  I  saw  old  and  young 
men  and  women   spirits  roaming  about  on  the 
graves.     'Ajami  put  his  finger  to  his  mouth  and 
said  in  a  whisper,  '  Speak  not  a  word  should  you 
see  departed  friends,  for  they  are  waiting  here  for 
Judgment  Day  and  would  be  only  too  glad  to 
take  any  human   to   their  miserable  company.* 
We   could    see   Christians,    Jews    and    Moslems, 
living  in  Ramleh,  pass  along  the  road  and  never 
turn  round  to  look,  or  say  a  word  ;  they  knew 
that  on  Thursday  nights  ghosts  were  more  lively 
there,  and  that  a  harsh  word  or  mockery  at  the 
souls  would  result  in  their  being  snatched  away  by 
them.    Ah  !    yes,  I  have  seen  the  green-mantled 
Welies  on  the  green  heights,  the  white-bearded, 
hook-nosed  prophets  in  Hebron  and  Safed,  and  the 
cross-marked  armoured  knights,  all  vigilant  guar- 
dians of  the  places  in  which  they  were  buried 
centuries  ago.     And,  side  by  side,  were  horned 


CEMETERIES  89 

monsters,  which  I  knew  to  be  Baals,  all  appearing 
and  disappearing  at  will,  and  I  wished  in  my  heart 
I  had  been  at  home  with  my  wife  and  children. 
But  the  'Ajami  thought  I  had  not  yet  seen  enough, 
so  he  set  me  down  on  the  walls  of  the  pool  of 
Mamilla,^  where  I  could  overlook  the  vast  ceme- 
teries belonging  to  departed  Moslems.  There 
also  was  Zion  with  its  Christian  tombs  of  every 
denomination,  and,  possessing  the  power  to  see 
through  the  slopes  to  the  Mount  of  Olives,  my 
eyes  fell  on  slabs  without  number  in  Hebrew  which 
told  me  that  they  covered  the  Jews  waiting  around 
the  Sanctuary  for  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  to 
arise  and  be  judged  by  Mohammed. 

"  Whenever  I  had  a  wish  the  'Ajami  knew  it. 
Having  had  no  explanation  about  *  that  which 
divides  a  woman  from  her  husband,*  he  once  more 
carried  me  to  the  Moslem  quarter,  above  the 
Damascus  Gate,  and  showed  me  ugly  female 
spirits  accompanying  pregnant  women  and  newly 
married  damsels.     '  That  is  the   Kariny,'  ^    said 

^  The  upper  pool  of  Gihon. 

2  Perhaps  "  Kariny,"  ('^/^P  )>  is  derived  from  the  word 
Kara,  "  to  hate."  The  "  Kari-Chang  "  is  a  Chinese  law  of 
abstinence  and  devotion,  containing  twenty-seven  articles. 
During  this  kind  of  Lent  season,  strictly  observed  in  Formosa, 
no  serious  transactions  are  allowed,  such  as  building,  beginning 
an  enterprise,  selling  hides,  sowing,  manufacturing  arms,  marrying 
or  having  intercourse  with  women,  giving  names  to  the  new-born, 
or  going  on  a  journey.  The  law  had  its  origin  in  an  ugly  Formosan 
who,  mocked  by  his  people,  prayed  to  be  removed  to  heaven, 
where  he  became  a  divinity.  Transgressors  of  the  law  were 
severely  punished.  (Chinese  myth.)  The  "  Carines  "  were  women 
of  Caria  who  were  hired  to  mourn  the  dead.     (Greek  legend.) 


90  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

the  'Ajami.  '  She  puts  hatred  between  man  and 
wife ;  she  makes  women  miscarry,  or  barren ; 
she  makes  men  impotent  and  turns  their  minds 
towards  other  women,  or  women  towards  other 
men.'  I  trembled,  for  I  knew  that  this  must  be 
the  loathsome  Kariny  mentioned  in  the  Koran 
and  already  known  to  Solomon,  who  taught  people 
to  wear  amulets  to  hinder  her  detestable  work. 

**  Seeing  my  fear,  the  'Ajami  hurried  me  through 
space  and  then  below  the  earth,  where  Jan  were 
gathered  in  bathing  establishments,  oil-mills  and 
cemeteries, — in  short,  in  all  those  public  places 
where  Jan  gather  most  freely.  We  went  to 
sanctuaries  and  saw  the  presiding  saint  assuming 
any  form  he  liked.  In  Dair  esh  Sheikh  he  was  a 
swarm  of  bees  defending  his  abode ;  at  another 
holy  spot  was  a  mounted  horseman  with  a  flowing 
beard,  a  green  mantle  and  a  spear  in  his  hand. 
We  saw  the  guardians  (Rasads)  taking  the  most 
fantastic  forms  and  humans  of  all  denominations 
respect  them  ;  then  thousands  of  years  passed  by 
and  the  same  religious  forms  in  the  very  same 
places  reappeared.  The  worshippers  spoke  of 
Baal,  El,  and  Allah, — that  was  the  only  change, 
and  this  change  was  so  slight  that  they  hardly 
noticed  the  difference  from  one  generation  to 
another.  Then  I  knew  that  I  was  in  the  Immov- 
able East  and  was  glad  to  have  been  born  to 
live  and  die  in  my  pure  Arabic  creed  and  language. 

"Above  and  below   the    earth   we  travelled; 


o 


p 
^ 


PHANTOMS  91 

into  churches,  mosques,  synagogues,  and  ruined 
sanctuaries  we  entered.  Then  we  flew  back  to 
Zion.  There,  as  in  Mamilla,  down  in  Kedron, 
and  on  the  slopes  of  the  Mount  of  OHves,  myriads 
of  phantoms  and  spirits  of  all  forms  moved  about. 
Jebusites  and  Amorites,  Hebrews  of  pre-Baby- 
lonian  days,  Machabees,  Greeks,  Romans,  Moslems, 
Franks,  and  Palestine  Christians  were  all  con- 
gregated there,  anxiously  waiting,  with  eyes  turned 
towards  the  East,  for  the  Day  to  come. 

"  Once  more  the  'Ajami  took  me  up  and  set 
me  down, — this  time  on  the  minaret  of  Naby 
Daoud.  The  tomb  of  David  was  the  best  obser- 
vatory he  could  have  chosen.  From  this  holy 
elevation,  sacred  to  all  human  beings,  he  again 
pointed  to  the  East.  *  The  night  is  far  spent,'  he 
said.  '  Light  will  come  very  soon  !  Put  away 
your  books  and  once  more  follow  the  ways  of 
Allah,  unless  you  would  partake  of  the  fate  of 
those  you  will  presently  see.'  He  spoke  in 
such  a  solemn  tone  that  I  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  to  look  round.  But  my  guide  had 
disappeared. 

"  Suddenly  sulphurous  fumes  and  the  odour  of 
bitumen  filled  the  air,  just  as  if  the  submarine 
volcanoes  of  the  Sea  of  Lot  (the  Dead  Sea)  were 
in  action.  The  earth  trembled.  Iblis  with  his 
legions  of  Shaiateen  (Demons),  clothed  in  fire  and 
with  fiery  hooks  in  their  hands,  trooped  from  the 
desert  of  Judah,  dancing  and  whirhng  round  and 


92  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

round, — ^whistling  and  shrieking  as  they  approached. 
Small,  hairy  Shairim  (satyrs)  hopped  around  them, 
pulling  each  other's  ears,  hair  and  tails,  with 
indecent  demeanour.  The  troglodyte  Ghules,  per- 
fectly globular,  rolled  up  the  hills  on  the  long 
spikes  which  surrounded  their  bodies,  hedgehog 
fashion.  Their  glowing  red  eyes,  formed  of  bright 
glow-worms,  sent  forth  piercing  looks,  whilst 
in  their  huge  stomachs  the  half-decayed  bodies  of 
devoured  children  could  be  seen  rolling  from  one 
side  to  the  other.  Towering  Mareds,  ^  with  evil 
looks,  passed  by  me  with  rhythmic  paces,  now 
blowing  up  their  ethereal  bodies  until  they  were 
miles  in  height  and  had  become  as  thin  as  lofty 
palms,  now  settling  down  and  becoming  like  flat 
wheels  laid  on  their  axes,  producing  the  while 
the  queerest  and  most  terrifying  sounds.  My 
blood  stood  still.  Yet  the  terrible  procession 
continued  as  noisy  as  a  great  cavalry  charge. 
Bulls  rushed  forth,  blowing  fire  from  their  nostrils ; 
camels,  foaming  at  the  mouth  with  rage,  shot 
forth  their  tongues  until  they  were  several  yards  in 
length ;  black  horses  with  steel  hoofs  galloped 
wildly  over  the  flint  pavement,  sending  sparks 
like  meteors  flying  about  the  graves,  and  I  knew 
that  these  were  disguised  Rasads  (guardians). 
With  hideous  grimaces,  monkey-like  Krad  and 
Afarid  chmbed  trees,  cemetery  walls  and  tombs, 
peeped  into  ossuaries,  dragged  forth  skulls  and 

*  Siira  xxxvii.  7. 


RESURRECTION    SCENES  93 

limbs,  and  hurled  them  at  each  other  with  satyric 
laughter.  In  the  rear  came  the  Jan,  grimacing  at 
each  other,  yelling  and  howling,  now  approaching 
and  fixing  their  eyes  upon  me,  now  withdrawing 
with  distorted  dances.  How  I  wished,  as  I 
felt  their  hot  breath  upon  my  face,  that  I  was 
again  in  my  native  village  !  I  thought  my  last 
moment  had  come,  and  that  there  was  no  more 
time  to  repent.  For  behold !  on  the  walls  of 
Zion,  with  a  shining  sword  in  his  hand,  stood 
'Ozrael,  the  Angel  of  Death,  to  cut  short  my  days. 
Alas  !  I  concluded,  it  is  my  fate  to  go  down  to 
Hell-fire. 

"  But  suddenly  the  scene  changed  :  the  mon- 
sters and  hideous  apparitions  left  the  Sacred 
elevation  and  were  replaced  by  new  forms  which 
poured  in  by  myriads  from  the  north,  south,  east 
and  west.  They  came  and  gathered  as  it  were  for 
Judgment  on  the  platform  of  the  holy  rock.  Their 
odour  was  so  old,  so  mouldy,  that  I  knew  at  once 
they  had  been  lying  in  the  earth  many  thousands 
of  years,  long  before  our  oldest  writers  on  the 
Canaanites  and  Themudians,  long  before  Abraham 
and  Ishmael.  From  Wad  en  Nar  and  Er  Rahib 
a  procession  of  Baal-worshipping  horned  forms 
came,  bearing  with  them  an  odour  of  burning 
flesh,  the  result  of  their  Moloch  abominations  ; 
from  Kedron  trooped  millions  of  beings  each  with  a 
triangle  and  four  strange  letters  on  his  or  her  fore- 
head ;  and  from  all  the  battlefields,  near  and  far, 

8— (2131) 


94  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

there  marched  past,  in  rank  and  file,  soldiers 
marked  with  crescents  and  crosses.  Everywhere 
gravestones  were  upheaving.  The  Greek  ossuary 
on  Zion  let  out  its  confused  cross-marked  forms  ; 
the  rock-tombs  of  Hinnom,  the  most  heteroclitic 
figures,  for  the  strangers  arriving  at  El  Kuds  had 
been  buried  in  the  foreigners'  graves  ;  the  Well  of 
Souls  (the  Bir  el-Arwah)  opened  wide  its  mouth 
beneath  the  Sakhra  and  the  souls  of  departed 
believers  stepped  out  with  joyous  countenance, 
for  they  knew  that  Mohammed  had  promised  to 
save  his  own  nation  ;  the  tombs  of  the  Prophets, 
of  the  Judges,  and  of  the  Kings  sent  forth 
their  contingents  in  solemn  procession  to  be 
judged. 

"  This  El  Kuds  is  a  veritable  city  of  tombs 
and  dead,  thought  I,  ready  to  give  up  the  ghost 
to  'Ozrael.  If  I  have  time  to  repent,  shall  I  be 
amongst  the  chosen  ?  Verily  I  am  of  the  Ummy 
(nation  of  the  Prophet). 

"  At  that  moment  a  loud  roaring  all  over  the 
universe  was  heard.  It  came  from  the  south. 
My  flesh  began  to  creep  as  I  heard  its  voice  say, 
*  The  people  have  not  believed  our  teachings.'  ^ 
The  monster  which  called  out  with  this  awful 
voice  was  more  fearful  to  behold  than  the  apocalyp- 
tical *  red  dragon  with  seven  heads  and  ten  horns 
and  seven  crowns,  whose  tail  drew  the  third  part 

^  Inn  in-Naas  kaanu  biayatina  la  youquanun — Sura  xxvii. 
84. 


,^,jfi^jf!ww''^**^'^^*  -       -as^ssic  .""' 


.f-^ 


3(*^v 


By   p,'i  mission   t:/  111,     Aiiwnciiii    Coluny    I 'hnlir^utliluis,    JaHsuU 

Dome   of   the   Ascension 


THE    ANGEL    GABRIEL  95 

of  the  stars,  dragging  them  to  earth.'  ^  This 
one  came  from  Mecca  and  was  covered  all  over 
with  long  stiff  hair  and  feathers.  It  possessed 
two  wings  and  was  as  brown  as  a  bear.  The  half 
of  its  body  was  like  a  cat,  its  breast  was  that  of  a 
lion,  its  tail  that  of  an  enormous  fat-tailed  ram, 
and  its  head  that  of  a  bull.  It  had  the  eyes  of  a 
pig,  the  ears  of  an  elephant,  the  horns  of  a  stag, 
and  an  ostrich's  neck.  Its  broad  feet  were  like  a 
camel's,  and  as  it  thundered  over  Jerusalem  it 
crushed  the  unbelievers  with  its  immense  hoofs. 
There  was  a  general  flight  towards  Siloam  and  the 
desert  in  the  east,  towards  Birket  es-Sultan,  ^ 
and  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  in  the  west,  where 
centuries  ago  the  ancestors  of  the  Hebrews  offered 
human  and  other  sacrifices  to  Moloch.  Standing 
on  my  observatory,  I  was  paralysed  with  fear. 
Oh  !  how  I  wished  I  had  never  bought  those 
forbidden  books  ! 

"  As  the  wish  passed  through  my  mind,  a  faint 
streak  of  light  above  the  Mount  of  Olives  announced 
the  arrival  of  the  Bright  Spirit.  '  Aouzi  bi 
Rab  il  fallaq  '  ^  I  exclaimed.  The  Angel  Gabriel, 
with  his  yellow  turban,  filled  the  sky  and  his 
sword  brought  forth  the  dawn.  I  passed  my 
hand  through  my  beard,  as  is  commanded  when 
daylight  is  announced,  and  with  a  loud  voice  I 
cried,     '  Eshhad     ino    la     lUaha    ill    Allah    wa 

^  Revelations  xii.  3-4.  ^  The  lower  pool  of  Gihon. 

*  "  My  protection  is  in  the  Lord  of  the  Dawn."     Sura  cxiii.  1 . 


96  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Muhammad    Rasul     Allah  !  '  ^     scanning     every 
syllable  and  moaning  in  my  anguish. 

"  And  lo  and  behold  !  I  saw  the  fir-trees  above 
the  '  Aj ami's  abode  moving  slightly  to  and  fro  as, 
in  the  first  streaks  of  daylight,  the  morning  breeze 
passed  through  the  branches  and  proclaimed  the 
name  of  Allah.  Whereupon  I  repeated  my  con- 
fession of  faith,  proclaiming  his  glory  at  Dawn 
of  Day.  2  I  realised,  then,  that  I  had  never  moved. 
I  was  still  sitting  on  the  same  spot  above  Beit- 
Mahsir.  Yet  my  spirit  had  seen  the  world  and 
what  is  in  and  above  it  all  over  the  Holy  Land. 
And  so  I  promised  to  leave  magic  and  try,  by 
better  ways  and  reading  the  Koran,  to  gain  eternal 
life." 


The  sun  was  fast  dechning  and  about  to  plunge 
in  the  Mediterranean  when  Ehmad  Imhamad 
came  to  the  end  of  the  story  of  his  vision,  and  as 
the  last  fierce  rays  struck  the  Mountains  of  Judah 
they  seemed  to  be  alive  with  the  spirits  he  had 
evoked.     I  rose  and  thanked  him. 

"  Ehmad  Imhamad,"  said  I.  "  You  have 
done  a  better  day's  work  than  you  would  have 
done  by  necromancing.  Come  and  let  us  have 
another  talk  in  Jaffa  very  soon." 

^  "  I   witness  that   there   is   but   one   God,    Allah,    and    that 
Mohammed  is  his  Apostle." 
2  Sura  XX.    130. 


IN    SHA- ALLAH!  97 

''  In  Sha-Allah  !— If  Allah  wills  !  "  I  heard  him 
say  as  I  mounted  my  mare. 

Then  I  turned  my  face  homewards,  to  arrive 
after  darkness  and  put  down  these  notes  as  faith- 
fully as  possible  for  the  benefit  of  those  occidental 
readers  who  do  not  fully  comprehend  oriental 
knowledge  and  belief. 


V 

THE  GARDENS  OF  SOLOMON 
I 

"  I  made  me  great  works  ;  I  builded  me  houses  ;  I  planted  me 
vineyards  ;  I  made  me  gardens  and  parks,  and  I  planted  trees 
in  them  of  all  kinds  of  fruit :  I  made  me  pools  of  water,  to  water 
therefrom  the  forest  where  trees  were  reared." 

ECCLESIASTES  11.   4-6, 

Whenever  the  month  of  Rabee  comes  and  the 
subtle  influence  of  the  Spring  begins  to  make 
itself  felt,  I  hear  the  call  of  the  Orient.  A  thou- 
sand times  a  day  the  sweet  summons  drags  me 
from  mundane  occupations  and  carries  me  back 
to  the  scenes  of  my  youth.  It  comes  to  me — 
clear  and  irresistible — from  a  multitude  of  sources ; 
it  makes  its  welcome  appeal  through  all  the 
avenues  of  sense.  The  sight  or  scent  of  a  flower 
on  one  of  the  slopes  above  my  Riviera  home,  the 
configuration  of  a  hill  or  the  geological  nature  of 
the  soil,  the  blue  expanse  of  the  Mediterranean 
as  I  turn  to  rest  on  my  peregrinations  towards  the 
Maritime  Alps,  the  taste  of  a  fruit,  or  sometimes 
the  very  breath  of  the  air,  are  all  allurements,  to 
set  the  stream  of  reminiscence  flowing  and  make 
me  yearn  for  the  East.  How  my  thoughts  fly 
back,  and  how  I  feel  inclined  to  cry,  with  Matthew 
Arnold  : — 

"  Quick,   thy  tablets.  Memory  !  " 

In  a  moment — and  on  those  occasions  all  physical 

98 


HAUNTS    OF    YOUTH  99 

ties  to  earth  seem  to  be  severed — I  am  back,  once 
more,  on  Mount  Hermon,  tracing  the  three  springs 
of  the  Jordan  and  paying  homage  to  the  magni- 
ficent snowy  peak  of  Djebel-esh-Sheikh.^  Once 
more,  the  valley  of  El  Ghor  and  the  Mountains  of 
Moab  are  spread  out  before  me.  Once  more,  I 
am  wandering  along  the  Bedawin-infested  shores 
of  the  Dead  Sea,  or  swimming  with  my  brother 
to  the  island  which  has  since  disappeared  beneath 
its  bitter  waters.  ^  Mountains  and  valleys,  rivers 
and  seas,  ruins  and  shrines, — all  the  old  famihar 
places  of  the  land  of  my  birth  pass,  one  by  one,  Uke 
moving  pictures,  during  those  spring-time  dreams. 
There  is  always,  however,  one  vision  that  pre- 
dominates when  Rabee  stirs  the  blood.  It  is  that 
of  Uitas,^  a  little  village  within  a  few  miles  of 

1  "  The  chief  of  mountains,"  as  the  Arabs  call  it. 

2  The  disappearance  of  this  little  island,  which  was  situated 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  shore  at  the  northern  end,  is  a  proof 
of  the  interesting  fact  that  the  Dead  Sea  is  increasing  in  size. 
The  maps  of  the  Palestine  Exploration  Fund  of  twenty  years  ago 
clearly  indicated  it,  and  it  is  also  shown  in  a  photograph  taken 
about  1882. 

3  Referring  to  Urtas,  Edward  Robinson  writes  {Biblical 
Researches  in  Palestine,  Vol.  II,  pp.  168) :  "  The  place  is  still 
inhabited,  though  the  houses  are  in  ruins, — the  people  dwelling 
in  caverns  among  the  rocks  of  the  steep  declivity.  Here  are 
manifest  traces  of  a  site  of  some  antiquity, — the  foundation  of  a 
square  tower,  a  low  thick  wall  of  large  squared  stones,  rocks  hewn 
and  scarped,  and  the  like.  If  we  are  to  look  anywhere  in  this 
quarter  for  Etam,  which  was  decorated  by  Solomon  with  gardens 
and  streams  of  water,  and  fortified  by  Rehoboam  along  with 
Bethlehem  and  Tekoa,  and  whence,  too,  according  to  the  Rabbins, 
water  was  carried  by  an  aqueduct  to  Jerusalem,  I  know  of  no 
spot  so  probable  as  this  spot." 

With  all  due  deference  to  this  authority,  I  am  of  the  opinion 
that  Robinson  was  misled  by  the  ruins  of  a  fortress  just  above  the 


100  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Bethlehem, — a  seemingly  dry  and  barren  spot, 
but  one,  in  reality,  whose  loose  grey  calcarious 
gravel  makes  it  pre-eminently  suitable  for  the 
production  of  fine  fruit.  And  within  its  narrow 
glen,  enclosed  to  right  and  left  by  rugged  hill- 
slopes,  and  watered  by  an  ever-running  brook,  the 
most  luscious  apricots,  peaches,  pears,  figs,  and 
other  kinds  of  fruit  were  indeed  grown,  when,  as  a 
youth,  I  lived  with  my  brothers  in  the  flat-roofed, 
fortress-like  house  which  stood  on  the  eminence 
above  our  plantations.  Those  fruit  trees  of  Urtas, 
gay  with  innumerable  blossoms  or  weighed  down 
by  fruit  fit  for  the  tables  of  kings  and  princes, — 
the  bright  blue  sky  seen  through  the  branches  as  I 
lay  beneath  them  dreaming, — the  singing  of  the 
birds, — the  murmur  of  the  brook, — and  the  fragrant 
odour  of  the  plants  on  which  our  bees  found  so 
plentiful  a  harvest^  made  up  a  never-to-be-for- 
gotten picture.  When  told  that  this  was  the  site 
of  the  Gardens  of  Solomon,  who  can  wonder  that  I 
accepted  the  statement  as  something  more  than 
an  old  wife's  tale  ?     Who  can  wonder  that  I  read 

Urtas  spring,  and  that  Etam  was  really  situated  about  a  mile 
away,  on  the  site  of  Khirbet  el-Khokh,  near  'Ain  Etan  and  the 
lowest  of  the  Pools  of  Solomon.  Had  the  author  of  Biblical 
Researches  in  Palestine  observed  the  remains  and  the  spring  of 
Etan  he  would,  I  think,  have  modified  his  views  in  favour  of  my 
theory,  which,  I  may  add,  has  been  supported  by  more  modern 
authorities. 

1  The  thyme  honey  of  Urtas  is  comparable  to  the  renowned 
honey  from  Mount  Hymettus,  in  Greece,  and  was  probably  well 
known  in  Solomon's  time  for  its  delicious  aroma.  See  the  Song  of 
Solomon  iv.  11,  "  Thy  lips,  my  spouse,  drop  as  the  honeycomb  ; 
honey  and  milk  are  under  thy  tongue." 


Flachel 

5  lomb  15                          \ 

U^^^>i^( 

^^U^^Jh^«^\e'^errs       '* 

KW  ^m^'>^-^^-^  . 

:^^  "^"JWk  — <a2lii^'-'*''-i'«^^ 

^^^j^^^^^^-v^'     V    ^-— ~ 

fvb^ 


%e* 


li*?: 


^'^ 


AtauNijAme 


il^-f'^ 


'<o 


V/H 


J^^i 


e^i 


AO^ 


Deserr  c))^  Ju^a^K 


KhirSef 


ftr^ykoor 
3io5 


OTekoa.) 


riftPoF^?igi7en^oF5oLQnonANDeMVigor\s 


IhC  nurr\bcrs  joidic^re^eer  ^.bo'/e  TAeiditerr^nea^i^ 
Atcorzlino  to   Or/inAnce,  Juryeji     rEr. 

"Names   arul   inawinosjjrom    PJb's    [jcrsona^l 
obeerv^ons. 


LOVELY    SURROUNDINGS  101 

and  re-read  the  Song  of  Solomon  and  found  in  it  a 

confirmation  of  that  legend  ?     If  the  great  king's 

pleasure-grounds  were  anywhere,  where  else  could 

they   be   save   in   the  little  paradise   of  Urtas  ? 

What  other  place  so  well  accorded  with  the  words, 

"  Rise  up,  my  love,  my  fair  one,  and  come  away. 

For,  lo,  the  winter  is  past,  the  rain  is  over  and 

gone  ;  the  flowers  appear  on  the  earth  ;  the  time 

of  the  singing  of  birds  is  come,  and  the  voice  of 

the  turtle  is  heard  in   our  land.     The    fig-tree 

putteth  forth  her  green  figs,  and  the  vines  with  the 

tender  grape  give  a  good  smell."  ^      Many  other 

passages  of  the  Song  of  Songs  seemed  to  me  to  be 

inspired    by    those    lovely    surroundings.     "  My 

beloved  is  gone  down  into  his  garden  to  the  beds 

of  spices,  to  feed  in  the  gardens,  and  to  gather 

lilies  ...  I  went  down  into  the  garden  of  nuts 

to  see  the  fruits  of  the  valley,  and  to  see  whether 

the  vine  flourished  and  the  pomegranates  budded. 

.  .  .     Let  us  get  up  early  to  the  vineyards,  let 

us   see  if  the  vine  flourish,   whether  the  grape 

appear,  and  the  pomegranates  bud  forth  .  .  .  "  ^ 

And  what  of  Solomon's  Pools,  situated  near  the 

Saracenic  castle  of  Kalat  el-Burak,  some  half  an 

hour's  journey  from  our  ruined  village  ?     Could 

there  be  any  doubt  in  my  youthful  mind,  nourished 

on  Maundrell,  Robinson,  and  other  writers,  that 

these  colossal  waterworks  and  the  hidden  "  sealed 

^  The  Song  of  Solomon  ii.  10-13. 

2  The  Song  of  Solomon  vi.  2,  1 1  ;  vii.  12. 


102  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

fountain  "  near  by  were  the  "  pools  of  water  " 
referred  to  in  Ecclesiastes  and  part  of  that  gigantic 
system  of  irrigation  which  transformed  the  whole 
of  the  region  into  a  veritable  earthly  paradise  ? 
.  .  .  No  ;  it  was  beyond  dispute  that  there  before 
me  lay  the  gardens  of  the  great  and  wise  king. 

But  before  the  days  of  Solomon  another  of  my 
favourite  Bible  heroes  had  trod  the  sacred  soil  of 
Urtas.  The  young  shepherd  David,  leading  his 
flocks  there  from  Bethlehem,  must  surely  have 
been  inspired  by  the  streams  and  rugged  land- 
scapes of  my  home ;  and  it  pleased  me  to 
fancy  that,  as  he  played  upon  his  Neiye,  ^  he  com- 
posed there  his  23rd  Psalm,  since  he  speaks  of 
"  the  Lord  his  Shepherd,  who  made  him  he  down  in 
green  pastures  and  led  him  beside  the  still  waters."  ^ 
In  no  other  place  near  Bethlehem  do  you  find 
either  pastures  or  a  constant  supply  of  fresh 
running  water.  Completing  the  picture,  I  could 
see  him  descending  the  picturesque  but  dangerous 
gorges  of  AduUam  and,  as  he  thus  walked  "  through 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,"  entrusting 
himself  and  his  sheep  to  the  hands  of  God.  He  had 
already  encountered  wild  animals  in  those  solitary 
places  and  by  courageously  attacking  them  with 
his  "  comforting "  staff  ^ — the  Naboot  of  the 
Arabs,  which  every  modern  Palestine  shepherd 
still   carries — had   killed   them.  * 

^  See  Song  and  Dance  in  the  East,  pp.  249-252. 
2  Psalms  xxiii.  1-2.  ^  Psalms  xxiii.  4. 

*  I.  Samuel  xvii.  34-35. 


By  permission  of 


The    Anurican   Colony  Photographers,    Jerusalem 


A   Shepherd 


^AIN    RIMMON  103 

When  David  became  king  he  had  no  time  to 
occupy  himself  with  the  pleasures  which  his  son 
and  successor  was  to  enjoy.  But  on  taking 
Solomon  on  excursions  to  Urtas  he  must  have 
called  his  attention  to  its  natural  advantages^  for 
as  soon  as  he  succeeded  to  the  throne  the  new 
sovereign  chose  Etam  as  one  of  his  cities  for 
chariots.^  Moreover,  Josephus  tells  us  that 
Solomon  was  particularly  fond  of  the  place  because 
of  its  "  beautiful  gardens,  its  fine  springs,  and 
the  extreme  fertility  of  its  soil."  ^  Etam,  then, 
possessed  several  springs — possibly  three  in  all : 
'Ain-'Etan  at  the  Khirbet  el-Khokh,  above  Urtas, 
the  "  sealed  fountain,"  'Ain  Saleh,  above  Etam, 
and  the  'Ain  Urtas — then  'Ain  Rimmon.^ 

1  I  Kings  X.  26. 

2  Antiquities  of  the  Jews,  viii.  2,  p.  340. 

^  'Ain  Rimmon  has  never  been  identified  by  explorers,  and 
Urtas  has  never  been  pointed  out  as  corresponding  to  any  known 
Bible  locality.  My  reason  for  identifying  'Ain  Rimmon  with 
Urtas  is  based  on  the  following  passages  :  "  Judah  received  Ain, 
Remmon  and  Ether  and  Ashan  "  (Josh.  xix.  7).  Evidently  the 
transcriber  knew  nothing  of  the  country,  since  he  takes  Ain  and 
Remmon  to  be  two  different  places.  In  the  parallel  reference 
(I.  Chron.  iv.  32)  a  more  careful  scribe  makes  Ether  into  Etam, 
and,  besides  giving  'Ain  Rimmon  and  Ashan,  adds  Tochen.  Now, 
we  find  'Ain  Etam  and  'Ain  Urtas  and  Wad  et-Tawaheen  in  the 
actual  topography.  Later,  Nehemiah  speaks  (Neh.  xi.  29)  of 
the  villages  of  Judah,  and  groups  'Ain  Rimmon,  Zoreah  and 
Yarmuth,  though  they  are  far  apart.  But  he  says  the  children 
of  Judah  dwelt  together  from  Beersheba  to  the  valley  of  Hinnom 
(Neh.  xi.  30),  an  extensive  country.  Rimmon  means  Pome- 
granates, and  in  his  Song,  Solomon  speaks  of  his  "  Fardas 
Rumaneem  "  (Song  of  Songs  iv.  13),  "  the  pomegranate  gardens." 
And  last  but  not  least  the  prophet  Zechariah,  in  his  vision, 
foreseeing  a  time  when  the  land  round  Jerusalem  should  be 
made  flat  for  the  judgment  of  the  nations  says:  "  All  the  land 
shall    be    turned   as  a  plain  from  Geba  to   Rimmon,  south  of 


104  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

But  you  must  imagine  Etam,  in  Solomon's 
days,  as  something  more  than  a  place  of  mere 
rustic  beauty.  From  the  many  nations  which 
surrounded  his  kingdom,  the  king  selected  wives 
and  for  every  princess  of  the  blood  he  built  a 
palace.  1  These  houses  he  placed  here  and  there, 
so  as  not  to  profane  Jehovah's  temple  at  Jeru- 
salem. 2  His  Moabite  wife  dwelt  on  the  Mount  of 
Olives ;  his  Egyptian  spouse  was  at  Gezer ;  ^ 
whilst  his  Edomite  princess,  on  account  of  the 
nearness  of  her  native  country,  must  have  been  at 
Etam,  to  which  Solomon,  with  a  brilliant  retinue, 
rode  out  every  morning.  Josephus  gives  a  very 
picturesque  description  of  these  rides  to  Etam. 
"  Thus  King  Solomon,"  he  writes,  "  was  able 
to  add  four  hundred  chariots  to  the  thousand 
chariots  and  twenty  thousand  horses  which  he 
ordinarily  kept.  And  the  horses  which  they  sent 
him  were  not  only  particularly  fine — they  sur- 
passed all  others  in  swiftness.  Those  who  rode 
them  made  their  beauty  still  more  apparent ; 
for  they  were  young  men  of  very  tall  stature, 
clothed  in  Tyrian  purple,  armed  with  quivers,  and 
with  long  hair  covered  with  gold  dust,  which,  when 
the  rays  of  the  sun  struck  them,  made  their  heads 

Jerusalem  "  (Zech.  xiv.  8-10).  Now,  Geba  is  as  far  north  from 
Jerusalem  as  Urtas  (Rimmon)  is  south  of  that  place,  making  a 
very  symmetrical  plan  which  fits  in  suitably  with  the  vision. 
See  my  communication  to  the  Quarterly  Statement  of  the  P.E.F., 
October,   1912,  pp.  209-211. 

1  I  Kings,  xi.  8. 

2  II.  Chronicles  viii.   11.  'I.   Kings  ix.   16-17. 


WATER    CONDUITS  105 

ablaze  with  light.  This  magnificent  retinue 
accompanied  the  king  every  morning  when, 
according  to  custom,  he  left  the  town,  seated  in  a 
superb  chariot  and  clothed  in  white,  to  go  to  a 
country  house  near  Jerusalem  called  Etam  .  .  ."  ^ 

On  the  death  of  Solomon,  the  Israelites  revolted, 
and  the  Edomites  in  the  south  made  so  many 
incursions  that  his  son  Rehoboam  was  obliged 
to  fortify  the  frontier  towns,  including  Bethlehem, 
Etam,  and  Tekoa,  ^and  place  garrisons  there.  The 
gardens  of  Etam  remained  royal  property  as  long 
as  the  kingdom  of  Judah  lasted. 

During  the  time  of  anarchy  which  followed  the 
deportation  of  the  princes  and  notables,  and  until 
Herod  the  Great  came  to  the  throne,  the  nation 
was  occupied  in  defending  itself,  sometimes  against 
the  governors,  sometimes  against  foreigners  in 
general.  Herod  himself,  a  foreigner  and  an 
Edomite,  had  a  predilection  for  the  favoured 
district  of  Urtas  and,  after  his  victory  over  the 
Jews,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Frank  Moun- 
tain,^ built  a  palace  near  by.  As  there  was 
nothing  but  rainwater  to  be  obtained  near  his 
castle,  and  as  rain  is  very  rare  in  this  part  of  the 
Desert  of  Judah,  he  had  the  water  from  the 
important  spring  of  El  Arroub  brought  by  means 

1  Antiquities  of  the  Jews,  viii.  2,  p.  340. 

2  II.  Chronicles  xi.  6. 

3  So  called  since  1453,  when  Felix  Fabri  relates  that  the  Franks, 
after  the  battle  of  Hattin,  withdrew  there  and  found  sufficient 
water  to  grow  corn  and  vegetables,  thanks  to  which  they  withstood 
a  siege  of  at  least  a  year. 


106  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

of  a  conduit  and  an  extensive  system  of  reservoirs 
to  Solomon's  Pools.  This  conduit  was  so  big 
that  a  horse  could  easily  pass  through  it.  It 
became  smaller  as  it  advanced,  but  still  was 
sufficiently  large  to  enable  workmen  to  stand 
upright  in  it  when  undertaking  repairs.  It  passed 
by  way  of  the  Wady  el-Biar,  or  Valley  of  the  Wells, 
and  skirted  the  flank  of  the  mountain  of  Batn-el- 
Ekra*  and  Mough-arid-Khalid,  north  of  Urtas, 
where  the  surplus  water  flowed  into  a  large  number 
of  reservoirs  which  stretched  as  far  as  the  Urtas 
spring.  The  solidly  cemented  remains  of  a  portion 
of  these  gigantic  works  are  still  to  be  seen  to-day 
on  our  family  property  at  Urtas.  After  the  Valley 
of  Urtas,  properly  so  called,  comes  the  Valley  of 
the  Mills,  Wad  et-Tawaheen,  and  there  again  are 
other  remains  which  clearly  formed  part  of 
Herod's  extensive  system  of  irrigation,  the  surplus 
water  from  which  was  probably  used  for  the 
turning  of  numerous  mills. 

After  Herod's  death  his  successors  were  unable, 
for  a  multitude  of  reasons,  principally  lack  of 
resources  and  incessant  troubles  with  their  enemies 
inside  the  kingdom  and  the  Romans  coming  from 
without,  to  occupy  themselves  with  Etam,  so  that 
the  paradise  of  Urtas  quickly  fell  into  ruins.  The 
remains  of  a  marble  palace,  discovered  there  about 
1865  by  Mr.  MeshuUam,  a  colonist  who  followed 
in  my  father's  footsteps,  and  known  to  the  Arabs 
as  El  Hammam — the  Bath — led  some  to  suppose 


HORTUS    CONCLUSUS  107 

that  the  Emmaus  of  the  Gospel^  was  situated  at 
Urtas.  But  baths,  or  Emmaus,  abound  in  Pales- 
tine. There  are  two  to  the  north-west  of 
Jerusalem,  where  the  Emmaus  celebrated  for  the 
appearance  of  Jesus  to  two  of  his  disciples  after 
his  death  has  already  been  placed.  Another  is 
at  the  warm  baths  of  Tiberias  ;  whilst  a  fourth 
and  a  fifth  are  at  Calirrhoe  and  Arnon,  to  the 
east  of  the  Dead  Sea,  where  Herod,  a  few  days 
before  his  death,  sought  relief  from  his  sufferings. 

II 

Until  the  arrival  of  Tancred  and  the  hundred 
knights  who  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  Church  of 
the  Nativity  at  Bethlehem — that  is,  before  the 
taking  of  Jerusalem  —  the  gardens  of  Urtas 
remained  buried  in  oblivion.  It  was  then  that 
the  name  **  Hortus  Conclusus  "  was  given  to  the 
place  by  the  monks  of  Bethlehem, — a  name  which 
has  been  preserved  in  their  archives  until  now.  ^ 

We  possess  no  exact  information  regarding  the 
history  of  Urtas  during  the  Christian  occupation 
from  1099  to  1187,  but  the  remains  of  Deir  el 
Banat,  or  the  Nuns'  Convent,  a  few  kilometres 
above  the  village,  near  the  Wady  el  Biar,  and  the 

^  St.  Luke  xxiv.  13. 

2  It  is  not  for  me  to  attempt  to  decide  whether  the  name 
Urtas  is  a  corruption  of  Hortus,  or  vice  versa.  But  I  may  remind 
my  readers  how  notoriously  careless  the  Crusaders  were  in  the 
translation  and  pronunciation  of  local  names.  The  question  is 
a  difficult  one  to  settle,  and  is  further  complicated  by  the  fact 
that  there  is  another  Urtas  near  Antioch  which  has  certainly 
nothing  to  do  with  Hortus,  a  garden. 


3lfcL- 


108  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

plan  of  which  is  fairly  clearly  indicated,  show  that 
the  building  was  placed  under  the  protection  of 
St.  Jean  d'Acre  or  the  Templars.  A  stone, 
marked  with  a  cross,  which  I  saw  there  about 
1870,  leaves  no  doubt  in  my  mind  on  that  point. 

The  kings  of  Jerusalem  probably  possessed  the 
privilege  of  including  Wady  Urtas  in  their  pos- 
sessions, but  the  cultivation  of  its  fertile  soil, 
recommenced  in  1099,  must  have  been  suddenly 
stopped  when,  after  the  Battle  of  Hattin,  in  1 187, 
the  last  Christian  king  of  Jerusalem,  Guy  of 
Lusignan,  fell  into  the  power  of  Saladin.  Urtas 
was  captured  by  the  Saracens  on  September  5th, 
1187.  In  Hugues  Platon's  words,  "  Le  jor 
qu'Escalone  fu  perdue,  li  rendi  Ton  tons  les 
Chastiausqui  environ  etoient."  During  the  Sultan's 
pourparlers  for  the  possession  of  Jerusalem  and 
the  siege,  which  lasted  but  a  fortnight,  all  the 
churches  and  convents  in  the  neighbourhood  were 
destroyed  by  the  invaders.  Deir  el  Banat  and  the 
Church  of  the  Garden  feU  at  the  end  of  September. 
For  more  than  a  century  had  the  sound  of  bells  ^ 
been  heard  in  the  district,  and  the  destruction 
was  so  complete  that  almost  every  trace  of  the 
church,  which  I  believe  was  situated  near  the 
centre  of  the  present  village,  disappeared. 

During  that  period  in  the  history  of  Palestine 

1  More  than  seven  centuries  elapsed  before  Christian  bells 
were  once  more  sounded.  In  1894  the  Convent  of  St.  Mary  of 
the  Garden  was  built  at  Urtas. 


A   TINY    MOSQUE    OF    OMAR        109 

which  is  known  as  "  the  great  blank  " — that  is 
from  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  to  the  re-introduc- 
tion of  Christian  missions  into  the  Holy  Land 
— the  story  of  Urtas  is  very  incomplete.  A  few 
interesting  fragments  have,  however,  come  down 
to  us. 

Between  1573  and  1575  the  valley  was  visited 
by  a  distinguished  botanist,  Dr.  Leonardus 
Rauwolffus,  who,  enumerating  the  most  remark- 
able plants,  "  in  horto  Salomonis  prope  Bethlee- 
mam,"  includes  the  pomegranate,  the  orange  and 
the  fig.  Oranges  are  no  longer  grown  there,  or 
anywhere  in  Judah,  except  at  the  village  of 
Tanour,  near  Beit-'Etab. 

Because  of  the  conduit  which  led  the  water 
from  Solomon's  Pools  and  the  springs  ^Ain  Etan 
and  'Ain  Saleh  to  the  Mosque  of  Jerusalem,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  village  were  exempted  from 
taxes  during  the  whole  of  the  domination  of  the 
Arab  sultans.  The  Mosque  of  Urtas  was  itself 
dedicated  to  the  same  Khalif  Omar  Ibn  Khattab 
as  the  one  in  the  Holy  City. 

The  chiefs  of  the  village,  exonerated  from  all 
burdens,  possessed  not  only  a  certain  independence 
but  even  enjoyed  the  right  of  distributing  justice 
to  neighbouring  villages  and  tribes, — a  right  which 
they  abused  to  such  an  extent  that  at  last  a 
revolution  was  provoked,  and  they  were  over- 
thrown. Nevertheless,  under  their  authority 
Urtas  again  prospered.     These  kinglets  forced  a 

9— (2131) 


110  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

good  deal  of  the  commerce  of  the  district  to  pass 
their  way  ;  they  possessed  a  palace  of  justice,  a 
large  prison  and  a  gibbet  for  recalcitrant  ones. 
The  Mosque  was  situated  in  the  centre  of  the 
village  ;  the  palace  of  justice  was  to  the  east. 
Forty  years  ago  a  portion  of  the  donjon,  with  the 
large  iron  rings  to  which  prisoners  were  attached 
fixed  in  the  walls,  could  still  be  seen. 

Conflict  with  the  people  of  Seir,  near  Hebron, 
resulted,  at  the  close  of  the  Middle  Ages,  in  the 
almost  total  destruction  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Urtas.  Those  who  escaped  the  massacre  took 
refuge  with  distant  relatives  or  in  the  fortress 
near  Solomon's  Pools.  The  stronghold  was  ceded 
to  them  on  condition  that  they  saw  to  the  proper 
working  of  the  water  supply  and  the  protection 
of  the  road  from  Jerusalem  to  Hebron, — duties 
which  they  carried  out  in  a  far  from  satisfactory 
manner.  Frequently  they  were  guilty  of  pillaging 
the  caravans  of  traders  and  isolated  pilgrims 
who  passed  their  way.  From  time  to  time,  how- 
ever, punishment  came.  The  Ta^amre  Bedawin 
descended  upon  their  hives  and  fruit  gardens,  so 
that  at  last  they  were  obhged  to  transport  the 
former  to  their  hill-top  fortress  and  definitely 
abandon  the  latter. 

During  the  long  civil  wars  of  the  red  and  white 
factions  of  the  Kesi  and  Yamani,  which  lasted 
throughout  the  eighteenth  and  a  part  of  the 
nineteenth   centuries,    the   inhabitants   of   Urtas 


COLONIZING    URTAS  111 

carried  contraband  arms  and  ammunition  first 
to  the  one  and  then  to  the  other  party.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  and  until  the 
reign  of  Abdul  Medjid  they  paid  their  taxes 
with  great  irregularity  and  were  continually  in 
revolt.  But  in  1830,  on  the  invasion  of  Palestine 
by  Ibrahim  Pasha,  they  sided  with  Sultan 
Mahmood  II  and  vaUantly  defended  the  territory. 

Ill 

The  modern  history  of  the  Gardens  of  Solo- 
mon I  date  from  1837  when  Robinson  made  his 
researches  in  Palestine.  The  road  then  passed 
in  the  middle  of  the  valley  "  through  gardens  and 
watered  fields,"  but  doubtless  all  the  water  of  the 
springs  of  Urtas  was  not  utilised,  for  the  author  of 
Biblical  Researches  in  Palestine  continues  to  say, 
"  The  little  stream  was  soon  absorbed  in  the  thirsty 
gravelly  soil  of  the  valley,  and  the  gardens  ceased." 

In  1848  my  father  came  to  Urtas,  bought  land 
there  and  built  a  small  house.  But  the  inhabitants 
came  to  him  only  during  the  day  to  work  in  our 
plantations,  and,  for  fear  of  the  Ta'amres,  retired 
as  soon  as  night  came  to  their  fortress.  Later, 
a  second  colonist,  Mr.  MeshuUam,  joined  him, 
gave  a  further  impetus  to  agriculture,  and  suc- 
ceeded, through  sheer  force  of  character,  in  intro- 
ducing relative  security  into  the  district.  Other 
colonists,  Americans  and  Germans,  followed  the 
example  of  these  two  pioneers,  but  remained  only  a 
short  time.     From  1859  to  1863  the  son  of  my 


112  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

father's  associate,  Mr.  Peter  Meshullam,  lived  at 
Urtas  and  to  a  certain  extent  ruled  over  the 
locality.  He  attempted  to  introduce  a  special 
system  of  forestry,  obliging  owners  to  respect 
their  forests  and  protecting  those  which  belonged 
to  the  community.  Furthermore,  he  himself 
dealt  out  justice  to  delinquents.  Tyrannical, 
but  at  the  same  time  exceedingly  hospitable  by 
nature,  he  often  took  what  he  needed  for  his  guests 
from  the  first  shepherd  he  saw.  He  was  a  pro- 
tector of  widows  and  orphans,  and  any  woman  who 
was  oppressed  by  her  husband  or  relatives  could 
always  count  on  finding  a  safe  home  in  one  or 
other  of  the  numerous  country  houses  which  he 
possessed  at  Bakoosh  and  Faghur  in  the  Wady  el 
Biar.  Considering  the  jealous  and  vengeful  nature 
of  the  Arabs,  it  is  not  surprising  that  Peter 
Meshullam  at  last  became  their  victim,  although 
his  death  is  still  enveloped  in  mystery.  Whilst 
riding  to  Tekoa,  south  of  Urtas,  he  fell  at  'Ain 
Hamdeh,  near  the  Frank  Mountain,  from  his 
horse  and  broke  a  leg.  The  friends  who  were 
accompanying  him  returned  to  Urtas  for  help, 
leaving  him  in  charge  of  a  servant ;  but  on  their 
return  they  found  that  he  was  dead  and  that  the 
servant  had  disappeared.^ 

1  For  an  interesting  account  of  the  early  life  of  Peter  Meshullam 
and  his  extraordinary  authority  over  the  Bedawin,  whilst  yet 
only  a  boy  of  sixteen,  see  Van  der  Velde's  Narrative  of  a  Journey 
through  Syria  and  Palestine  in  1851  and  1852,  vol.  ii,  chap.  1 
(William  Blackwood  and  Sons,  1854), 


URTAS    CHURCH  113 

In  1858  H.R.H.  Prince  Alfred,  a  son  of  Queen 
Victoria,  visited  Urtas  and  purchased  a  few  acres 
of  land  to  the  south  of  Urtas  on  the  side  of  a 
mountain  called  Abu  Zeid.  Arranged  in  terraces, 
the  land  was  planted  with  vines  and  almond- 
trees  ;  and  these  remained  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  Mr.  MeshuUam.  For  many  years,  in 
the  summer,  Mr.  Finn,  the  British  Consul  in 
Jerusalem,  used  to  come  to  Urtas  with  his  family 
to  spend  a  few  days  there.  It  was  thanks  to  his 
aid,  both  financially  and  morally,  that  at  least 
one  kilometre  of  gardens  were  added  to  those 
already  existing,  and  that  the  reputation  of  Urtas 
for  fine  fruit  and  vegetables  became  known  far 
and  wide. 

Europeans  have  done  much  to  make  the  modern 
reputation  of  the  Gardens  of  Solomon.  They  have 
greatly  ameliorated  the  fruit  trees ;  and  as  to  vege- 
tables, the  Venetians  as  early  as  the  seventeenth 
century — as  words  of  Italian  origin  clearly  show — 
introduced  a  large  number  which  were  totally 
unknown  to  the  Arabs,  such  as  tomatoes  (in 
Arabic  Banadora,  from  pommi  d'ore),  egg-apples 
(Betinjan,  from  melongena),  peas  (Bizelle,  from 
picella),  and  haricot  beans  (Fasuha,  from  faciolla). 
As  regards  fruit,  Urtas  is  specially  famous  for 
its  pears,  peaches  and  figs,  which,  during  July, 
August  and  September,  attract  thousands  of 
people  to  its  picturesque  orchards. 

In  1850,  my  father,  called  to  other  duties  in 


114  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Jerusalem,  and  having  disposed  of  his  first  house 
at  the  bottom  of  the  valley  to  Mr.  Meshullam, 
built  a  new  one  in  the  very  centre  of  the  village 
and  on  the  perpendicular  rock  above  the  stream. 
The  site  he  chose  was  that  of  the  ancient  church  of 
the  Crusaders.  As  the  Arab  builders  whom  he 
employed  set  about  their  work,  they  pulled  down  a 
certain  wall  painted  with  frescoes,  representing 
the  figures  of  saints.  Little  did  my  brother  and  I, 
as  we  looked  on  with  boyish  amusement,  guess 
the  inestimable  archaeological  value  of  those 
twelfth  century  remains. 

Little  Urtas,  which  occupies  the  attention  of 
some  two  hundred  Moslem  inhabitants,  apart 
from  the  handful  of  Europeans  who  still  make  it 
their  home  and  the  inmates  of  the  convent,  built 
in  1894,  has  been  connected  with  Jerusalem  by  a 
carriage  road  since  1901.  Although  the  new 
route  is  much  longer  than  the  old  one  along  which 
the  camels  used  to  stumble  in  the  days  of  my 
youth,  it  is  now  possible  to  make  an  afternoon 
excursion  to  the  Gardens  and  Pools  of  Solomon, 
where  the  contemplative  visitor  cannot  fail  to  be 
rewarded  by  a  host  of  vivid  impressions  and 
fruitful  reflections. 


VI 

MURDER  AND  MARRIAGE  IN  URTAS 

"  He  that  smiteth  a  man,  so  that  he  die,  shall  surely  be  put 
to  death." — Exodus  xxi.  12. 

There  is  hardly  a  village  in  Palestine,  no  matter 
how  tiny,  but  has  "  blood  between  famihes." 
Even  when  killed  by  accident,  a  man  must  be 
revenged.  Bible,  Koran  and  modem  population 
entirely  agree  on  this  point.  As  a  rule,  the  man- 
slayer  must  pay  for  the  crime  with  his  own  blood, 
but  should  he  be  found  unworthy,  another  man 
of  his  kindred  may  be  taken  in  his  place.  An 
uncle  or  cousin — even  a  distant  cousin — is  still 
responsible,  though  the  murderer  himself  is  pre- 
ferable. With  Oriental  patience  a  Bedawi  once 
waited  forty  years  for  his  Ghareem,  but  seeing  he 
could  not  find  the  identical  murderer  he  killed  a 
cousin.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  he  met  the 
Ghareem  himself.  How  he  regretted  that  he  had 
acted  too  hastily  ! 

Urtas  was  no  exception  to  this  rule.  When  my 
father  came  to  the  village  and  bought  land  there 
in  1848  the  four  Hamulies,  or  groups  of  families, 
Shahini  and  Mashani,  Rib'i  and  Ehseini,  were  in 
conflict,  but  hved  together  in  the  castle  above 
Solomon's  Pools,  coming  down  to  Urtas  only  during 
the  day  to  look  after  their  gardens,  and  retiring 

115 


116  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

at  sunset  for  fear  of  the  neighbouring  Ta'amre 
Bedawin.  In  the  course  of  a  few  years  these  four 
famines,  regaining  confidence  owing  to  my  father's 
example  and  the  more  settled  state  of  the  country, 
returned  to  their  ruined  sites.  But  no  sooner  had 
they  once  more  settled  down  and  the  Ta^amre 
power  had  been  destroyed  by  the  Turkish  officials 
at  Jerusalem — no  sooner  had  a  kind  of  authority 
been  set  up  by  the  Pashas  than  they  began  to 
think  about  their  own  bloody  feuds  again.  From 
generation  to  generation  retaliation — that  Thar 
which  requires  that  no  murdered  man  shall 
remain  unrevenged — had  been  practised. 

Now,  at  the  time  our  story  opens,  a  part  of  the 
Shahini  family,  tired  of  this  eternal  vendetta,  had 
left  the  village,  looking  for  aid  and  refuge  at  some 
Tanib  in  the  south.  ^  Returning  home  from 
Bethlehem  one  day,  they  met,  near  the  ruins  of 
Etam,  Ibrahim  et-Taiesh  of  the  allied  Mashani 
and  mistook  him  for  a  member  of  the  adverse 
Rib'i  family.  Suddenly,  Khaleel  Abu-1-Ghreir 
struck  Ibrahim  on  the  back  with  an  axe  and 
almost  severed  his  vertebral  column.  "  Ah ! 
Son  of  a  dog,"  said  he.  "  We  have  met  you  at 
last !  "  Falling  to  the  ground,  Ibrahim,  then  a 
vigorous  youth  of  about  twenty,  cried  out  to  the 
men  that  they  were  mistaken  and  prayed  them 
not   to   soil  their  hands  with  innocent   blood,  ^ 

^   Cf.  Deuteronomy  xix.  5. 
2  Exodus  xxiii.  7. 


A    GHASTLY    SCENE  117 

and  thus  give  rise  to  a  new  Thar.  But  Abdallah 
'Odey,  advancing  in  his  turn,  almost  scalped  him 
with  his  sword,  crying  :  ''  Are  we  children,  son 
of  a  whore  ?  May  God  have  no  mercy  on  thy 
parents,  nor  on  thy  martyrs— Allah  la  yer^ham 
waldache  walla  shahdache  !  "  By  this  time 
Hassan  Ehmad  had  drawn  his  sword  and,  putting 
his  knee  on  Ibrahim's  breast,  endeavoured  to  cut 
the  wounded  man's  throat.  In  his  anguish, 
Ibrahim  protected  his  neck  with  his  hands  and  by 
so  doing  only  received  severe  wounds  on  his 
knuckles.  But  it  would  have  gone  ill  with  him 
had  not  a  shepherd  boy,  just  at  that  critical 
moment,  been  heard  playing  on  his  Neiye  whilst 
climbing  the  rocks  with  his  goats.  The  three 
murderers  suddenly  interrupted  their  ghastly 
work  and  fled.  Ibrahim  endeavoured  to  rise, 
held  up  the  scalp  which  had  fallen  over  his  face, 
and  with  a  loud  voice  cursed  his  retreating  assail- 
ants, ^  at  the  same  time  calling  for  help.  The 
shepherd  boy,  hearing  the  curses  and  calls,  in  turn 
called  out  in  every  direction  :  "  Jei  ya  Naas  jei 
—This  way,  oh  !  people  !  "  The  call  was  repeated 
from  mountain  to  mountain,  until  friend  and  foe 
hurried  towards  the  place  where  Ibrahim  was 
found  lying  in  his  blood. 

As  the  murderers  were  known  and  the  mistake 
was  acknowledged,  negotiations  were  carried  on 
between  the  parties  and  a  blood  gratification  was 

1  Judges  ii.  7. 


118  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

agreed  upon.  A  reconciliation  feast  was  held, 
garments  were  exchanged  and  it  was  declared 
openly  that  there  should  be  no  thought  of  any 
further  revenge. 

But  peace  never  reigned  for  long  in  Urtas.  Some 
months  later,  one  of  the  Ehseinis,  Hassan  by 
name,  was  captured  by  the  Pasha's  tax-gathering 
troops  when  they  were  passing  near  the  pools  of 
Solomon  ;  he  had  been  denounced  by  a  Mashani 
as  having  revolted  against  the  authorities.  As 
justice  was  very  summary  in  those  days,  he  was 
beheaded  there  and  then  on  the  road  and  his  body 
abandoned.  Brought  to  Urtas,  the  dead  man 
was  buried  and  immediately  a  fresh  cause  for  Thar 
arose.  But  patiently  the  Ehseinis  waited  for  an 
opportunity  to  take  their  revenge. 

Years  passed,  during  which  the  Rib'i  and 
Mashani  struggled  for  supremacy.  Ibrahim 
et-Taiesh  was  now  head  of  the  latter  and  Salem 
er  Ro^hmane  chief  of  the  former.  The  presents 
of  Salem  to  the  authorities  in  Jerusalem,  with 
whom  he  was  anxious  to  remain  in  favour,  were 
more  numerous  and  more  choice  than  those  of 
Ibrahim,  and  consequently  he  was  held  in  greater 
consideration  at  the  Seraiya  of  the  Governor. 
When  it  was  rumoured  that  Ibrahim  had  come 
into  the  possession  of  wealth,  ^  he  endeavoured  to 
make  capital  out  of  it,  but  as  there  was  no  proof 
he  accused  the  Mashani  of  theft,  robbery,  murder 

1    )      ee   Ibrahim's  Wealth,  pp.  127-138. 


FELLAH    SHEIKH  119 

and  all  kinds  of  crime,  real  or  imaginary.  As  he 
had  been  previously  elected  responsible  Mukhtar, 
this  new  position  of  mayor  gave  him  more  power, 
which  Sheikh  Salem  used  and  abused  until  he 
had  alienated  the  whole  village  with  the  exception 
of  two  or  three  persons. 

A  perfect  type  of  the  old  Fellah  chief  was  Sheikh 
Salem,  with  his  enormous  turban,  spotless  white 
Thob,  red  silken  Kaftan,  red  pointed  shoes  and 
sheepskin  jacket.  As  a  rule,  he  wore  a  pair  of 
pistols  in  his  girdle  ;  and  being  of  a  combative 
nature,  was  feared  by  both  great  and  small. 
He  had  two  wives,  both  foreigners.  Helwy,  his 
first  helpmate,  was  from  'Ajur  and  was  a  long 
time  before  she  had  Hving  children.  He  therefore 
married  a  dark  Bedawiye  of  the  Ta'amre,  by  whom 
he  had  three  boys  and  a  girl.  The  fair  Helwy,  like 
Rachel,  was  beloved  and  was  ever  jealous  of  her 
Durra,  the  dark  co-\\dfe.  'Alia  the  Bedawiye 
retained  her  dark  Bedawi  clothes,  whilst  Helwy 
imitated  the  more  gaudy  Bethlehemite  women  in 
her  toilet.  The  whole  famiily  lived  in  one  small 
room  and  sometimes  additional  guests  would  help 
to  fill  it,  especially  during  winter  nights  or  rainy 
days,  when  members  of  the  clan  would  squat 
round  the  fire,  smoking,  drinking  coffee  and 
planning  the  subjugation  of  the  Mashanis. 

To  possess  Bawardi^  and  thus  strengthen  the 
party  is  a  greater  ambition  with  a  Fellah  than  to 

1  Armed  men. 


120  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

have  wealth.  So  Salem  looked  out  for  a  girl  in 
the  adverse  camp  suitable  for  his  nephew 
'Ethmane,  who  had  been  unfortunate  in  his  first 
marriage.  His  wife  was  barren.  Besides,  through 
ill-treating  her,  she  had  left  him  and  gone  to  her 
father's  house.  More  than  one  episode  in  her  life 
reminds  us  of  Michal,  Saul's  daughter,  ^  especially 
her  return  again  when  ^Ethmane  was  more 
powerful.  ^  After  much  searching,  Salem  found 
the  girl  he  was  looking  for  in  the  Shahini  family. 
This  family  consisted  of  four  men  with  their 
wives  and  numerous  children  and  for  the  time 
being  was  on  good  terms  with  Salem  and  with 
Ibrahim.  Mustapha  Shahine,  the  head,  agreed  with 
Salem  that  the  girl,  Sarah,  fifteen  years  old  and 
the  daughter  of  Khaleel  Ibrahim,  should  be 
betrothed  to  'Ethmane  as  soon  as  the  sum  of 
Os.  40^  was  paid,  in  addition  to  the  usual  garments 
and  marriage  offerings.  However,  after  lengthy 
negotiations,  this  arrangement  was  abandoned  in 
favour  of  a  more  family  one.  Khaleel,  besides 
having  a  son  who  was  Khateeb  of  the  village,  had 
another,  Sliman,  who  was  also  of  an  age  to  marry. 
So,  as  ^Ethmane  had  an  unmarried  sister,  Sa^ada, 
the  parties  agreed  that  the  bridegrooms  should 
exchange  sisters,  each  one  giving  presents  to  the 
other  party  as  wedding  garments.  ^ 


1  I.  Samuel  xviii.  27  ;   xix.  12-17.  2  h.  Samuel  iii.  13-16. 

3  The  Ottoman  pound  sterling  is  equivalent  to  23  francs. 
«  II.  Kings  V.  22. 


BRIDAL    REJOICINGS  121 

The  marriages  were  fixed  for  the  seventh  day 
of  the  month  of  Rabee — the  spring.  The  first 
crescent  of  the  moon  was  high  in  the  sky  when, 
by  the  women's  Zagharit^  the  festivities  were 
announced.  From  the  fiat  roofs  of  'Ethmane's 
and  Shman's  houses  the  ululations  echoed  from 
one  side  of  the  mountain  to  the  other  over  the  deep 
depression  which  divided  the  village  in  two.  Before 
every  Zaghroot  ^  the  women  or  girls  announced  the 
forthcoming  feasts  and  generosity  of  the  bride- 
grooms, the  young  men  firing  all  the  while  and  the 
elderly  men,  in  low  voices,  accompanying  the 
Sa'hjy,  that  all-in-a-row  dance  in  which  ten  or 
more  men  join.  At  last,  after  seven  evenings  of 
dancing,  singing,  coffee-drinking,  smoking  and 
firing,  the  wedding  day  arrived. 

Both  brides,  in  their  best  clothes,  ostrich  feather 
crowns,  and  all  their  furniture,  were  set  on  camels 
and  led  to  their  prospective  homes.  As  the 
village  belonged  to  the  Kase  faction,  the  two 
women  wore  thick  red  impermeable  veils  over  their 
faces,  the  first  and  last  time,  according  to  Fellah 
custom,  they  would  be  veiled.  Sarah's  camel  was 
led  by  her  cousin  Jouseph,  who,  had  he  exercised 
his  right,  could  have  claimed  her  as  his  wife  ; 
Sa'ada's  camel  was  in  charge  of  her  cousin  Moosa 
Salem,  who  could  hkewise  have  asked  for  her  hand 
and  obtained  it.  Following  the  camels  were  the 
brides'  kin,  singing  and  firing  as  they  marched 

^  Ululations.  ^  Singular  of  "  Zagharit." 


122  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

along.  When  the  two  processions  met,  the  young 
men  had  a  mock  fight,  and  Jouseph  and  Moosa 
received  a  Majidi  each,  a  supposed  payment  for 
releasing  the  brides  and  allowing  the  "  foreigners  " 
to  take  them.  Meanwhile,  to  avoid  the  effects 
of  the  Evil  Eye,  the  heads  of  the  families,  Salem 
and  Mustapha,  each  representing  their  respective 
bride  and  bridegroom,  stepped  aside  and,  with 
Sheikh  'Awad,  the  Khateeb,  to  give  his  blessing, 
secretly  tied  the  marriage  knots.  Quietly  the 
processions  entered  their  new  homes,  where  the 
camels  were  made  to  kneel  down  and  the  brides 
alighted,  still  covered  with  their  veils.  ^  The 
evening  was  spent  in  preparing  the  supper  for  the 
guests  ;  there  was  more  singing,  ululating  and 
shooting ;  and  the  young  couples  were  then 
considered  to  be  married. 

During  the  preparations  for  these  festivities 
and  for  some  months  afterwards,  everything 
seemed  forgotten  between  the  rival  factions  of 
Urtas,  for  Salem's  party  was  now  strengthened 
by  many  Bawardi.  But  a  year  was  hardly  over 
than  new  troubles  once  more  broke  out.  Ibrahim 
continued  to  feign  poverty,  in  order  to  escape  the 
notice  of  the  friend  of  Salem,  Jouseph  Agha,  the 
captain  of  gendarmes.  One  day,  however,  he  was 
arrested,  bound  together  with  his  wife  and  dragged 
to  prison.  Whether  Jouseph  Agha  found  him  inno- 
cent or  whether  convincing  gold  helped  Ibrahim 

*  Genesis  xxiv.  64-65. 


THE    FATAL    BLOW  123 

out  is  not  known.  Anyway,  he  was  released 
and  at  once  began  to  plan  his  revenge  on  Salem. 
Thoroughly  on  his  guard,  Salem  alleged  that 
cattle-lifting  and  burglary  were  being  carried  on 
to  his  detriment,  and  in  his  endeavour  to  convince 
the  authorities  that  almost  all  the  village  had 
united  against  him,  he  became  so  disHked  that, 
during  his  absence  in  Jerusalem,  a  plot  was  formed 
and  the  "  tyrant "  was  condemned  to  death. 
As  there  were  several  roads  leading  to  Urtas, 
armed  men  were  placed  in  ambush  everywhere. 
Fellahin  are  almost  as  keen  as  Indians,  and  Salem 
suspected  the  trap.  Therefore,  on  his  way  home, 
he  suddenly  turned  off  the  road,  near  Rachel's 
tomb,  and  set  off  in  the  direction  of  Bethlehem 
to  join  friends  there  and  escape.  But,  unhappily 
for  him,  two  of  the  plotters.  Jabber  and  Sliman, 
followed  from  afar,  and,  seeing  him  take  another 
way,  hurried  into  the  olive-groves,  where  they 
soon  overtook  him  as  he  rode  slowly  along  on  his 
ass.  With  a  well-directed  blow  from  Jabber's 
Naboot,  Salem  was  knocked  from  his  animal, 
whilst  Sliman,  his  nephew,  drew  his  Shibriye  and 
cut  his  throat.  ^  An  old  Bethlehemite,  an  invol- 
untary witness  of  the  murder,  became  dumb  with 
terror  and  was  unable  to  report  what  he  had  seen 
until  the  next  day,  by  which  time  the  murderers 
had  escaped  through  the  groves  and  reached  home. 
This  happened  in  the  afternoon,  so  the  body  was 

1   Cf.  II.  Samuel  iii.  30. 


124  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

soon  discovered  and  the  news,  like  wildfire,  spread 
to  Urtas.  Less  than  an  hour  afterwards  the  dead 
man's  people  came  and  carried  him  home.  Friend 
and  foe  joined  in  the  procession  :  some  to  mourn, 
others  secretly  to  rejoice.  As  the  Khateeb  of 
Urtas  was  suspected  of  being  one  of  the  plotters, 
the  Khateeb  of  El  Khudr  was  called  in  to  officiate 
at  the  funeral  service.  The  body  was  thoroughly 
washed,  sewed  up  in  a  fresh  shroud  and  carried 
to  the  tomb  that  same  evening.  A  dead  body 
must  never  remain  unburied  lest  the  land  be 
defiled,^  and  it  be  unprepared  to  answer  the 
questions  put  by  Naker  and  Nker,  the  examining 
angels  in  the  grave,  who  awaken  the  dead  man, 
inform  him  that  he  is  dead,  and  then  ask  him  about 
his  good  and  bad  deeds.  It  is  for  this  reason  that 
the  Moslem  graves  have  empty  spaces  and  that 
slabs  are  put  over  the  bodies  to  avoid  the  earth 
touching  them. 

The  Khaled  family  provided  for  the  funeral 
supper  given  to  as  many  as  chose  to  be  present 
and  show  their  sympathy  for  the  bereaved.  Before 
this  supper  every  man  present  embraced  the  other 
as  a  token  of  reconciliation  in  the  presence  of  death, 
and  the  bereft  were  greeted  with  the  words : 
"  Salamet  Rasak— Your  head  is  safe." 

Since  the  introduction  of  Turkish  laws  into 
Palestine  cases  of  murder  such  as  this  were 
ordered  to  be  judged  at  the  Tribunal  at  Jerusalem. 

1  Deuteronomy  xxi.  23. 


A    TERRIBLE    PUNISHMENT        125 

The  family  council,  however,  thought  that  they 
ought  to  act  by  themselves  and  take  their  own 
vengeance  so  that  "  the  shame  be  put  away." 
Nevertheless,  friends  and  a  few  remaining  allies 
were  inclined  to  put  the  matter  in  the  hands  of 
the  authorities.  The  outcome  was  that  Jabber 
and  Sliman  were  kept  in  prison  for  several  years, 
and  whilst  they  bribed  the  officials  to  obtain  better 
treatment  'Ethmane  and  his  friends  used  bribes 
to  keep  them  where  they  were.  When  the  finances 
of  everyone  were  exhausted,  when  their  lands  had 
been  mortgaged  and  no  more  money  was  to  be 
procured,  both  prisoners  were  dismissed  "  for 
want  of  further  proof." 

Sliman,  the  throat-cutter,  escaped  further  judg- 
ment. But  what  happened  to  him  eventually  ? 
Spots  came  out  on  his  body,  then  ulcers  ;  a  toe 
or  a  finger  became  bent  and  withered ;  and 
finally  he  was  declared  a  leper.  His  wife  went 
home  to  her  brother  and  obtained  a  divorce. 
His  own  people  avoided  him.  Was  this  a  punish- 
ment from  Allah,  as  some  said  ;  or  was  his  malady 
hereditary,  as  more  enhghtened  folk  concluded  ? 
His  father  and  grandfather  had  been  physically 
sound,  with  the  exception  of  a  crooked  Hmb  or  so, 
and  the  itch — the  legacy  from  another  generation. 
However,  Sliman  had  to  join  the  band  of  miserable 
lepers  at  the  Jaffa  Gate,  to  live  on  alms  given  by 
merciful  passers-by,  until,  one  by  one,  his  fingers 
and    nose,    ears    and    toes    disappeared.     Every 

10 — (2131) 


126  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

evening  he  retired  to  the  common  lazar-house 
above  Job's  Well,  near  Siloam,  He  had  refused 
to  join  either  Jesus  Hilf,  the  German  hospital  for 
lepers,  or  the  Leproserie  de  St.  Lazare,  both  so 
well  kept  by  devout  Protestant  and  Catholic 
Sisters.  There  he  feared  to  be  obliged  to  become 
a  Christian  and  pray  after  Christian  manners. 
So,  when  almost  every  limb  was  infested,  when  his 
voice  had  become  extinct,  and  you  could  no  longer 
tell  whether  his  hideous  face  was  smiHng  or  crying, 
he  continued  to  decay  away  and  was  buried  far 
from  his  home. 


VII 

IBRAHIM'S  WEALTH 

I 

The  Plain  of  Rephaiirij  south  of  Jerusalem,  was 
full  of  waving  corn.  In  spite  of  the  prevaiHng 
heat,  the  harvest  could  hardly  be  expected  before 
July.  As  usual,  not  a  drop  of  rain  had  fallen 
since  the  end  of  April,  and  none  could  be  expected 
before  the  end  of  October. 

Immense  flint-stone  rocks  cover  aU  the  mountain 
and  the  decHvity  south-east  of  Rephaim.  In  the 
twilight  these  stones,  scattered  in  all  positions, 
could  easily  be  mistaken  for  man  or  beast,  and 
many  a  legend  has  been  woven  around  their 
fantastic  forms,  legends  which  could  not  fail  to 
pass  through  the  mind  of  a  young  man  who,  in 
the  early  Hght  of  morning,  was  quietly  lying  in  a 
sheltered  and  dominating  position  above  the  road. 

Owing  to  the  youth's  special  point  of  vantage, 
the  dryness  of  the  weather,  and  other  natural 
causes,  noises  from  almost  every  direction  could 
easily  be  detected  by  him  from  afar.  Moreover, 
in  the  rapidly  increasing  Hght,  he  could  see,  a 
mile  or  two  away,  the  silhouette  of  Mar  Elias, 
the  Greek  convent  of  Elijah,  so  called  from  the 
print  in  the  rock  left  by  the  holy  body    of    the 

127 


128  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Prophet  when  he  fled  from  Ahab  and  lay  down  to 
rest  on  his  way  to  the  wilderness. 

Jabber  es-Saleh,  the  young  man  in  question, 
was  from  the  village  of  Beth-Safafa,  at  the  en- 
trance to  the  Valley  of  the  Roses,  just  opposite 
the  place  where  he  was  sitting.  From  his  observa- 
tory he  could  survey  the  road  and  distinctly  hear 
the  voices  of  passers-by  even  when  at  a  great 
distance.  A  company  of  donkey-drivers  stopping 
near  the  SabeeP  of  Mar  Elias  could  be  heard  by 
him  with  remarkable  distinctness,  and  amongst 
the  voices  he  felt  sure  that  he  could  distinguish 
the  harsh  vocables  of  his  cousin  Ibrahim.  He  was 
right.  Ibrahim-et-Taiesh,  of  the  village  of  Urtas, 
was  indeed  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem,  driving  his 
donkey  before  him,  loaded  with  two  long  baskets 
of  tomatoes  for  the  market. 

Dawn  had  come.  The  first  streaks  of  light  in 
the  distance,  behind  the  mountains  of  Moab,  east 
of  Jordan,  announced  the  rising  sun.  As  the 
glorious  sight  appeared  to  his  eyes,  Ibrahim,  as 
every  Moslem  believer  does  when  "  God  sends  the 
morning,"  stroked  his  beard  and,  in  a  loud  and 
rhythmical  voice,  exclaimed  :  "  Eshhadu  inno  la 
lUaha  ill-Allah,  wa  Muhammad  Rasoul  Allah  !— 
I    witness    that    God   is   the  only  God  and  that 

^  This  Sabeel,  or  well,  was  set  up  by  the  authorities  of  the 
Greek  Convent  to  supply  water  to  travellers,  who,  flocking  there, 
often  cause  a  great  uproar.  These  roadside  wells  are  considered 
such  a  great  blessing  in  this  dry  land  that  the  Turkish  Government 
exempts  those  who  set  them  up  from  the  usual  duties  on  the  land 
and   properties   adjoining. 


PRAYERS    AT    DAWN  129 

Mohammed  is  His  Prophet !  "  Then,  in  lower 
tones,  he  murmured  the  Fatiha,  or  opening  chapter 
of  the  Koran,  interrupting  his  prayers  now  and 
then  by  pushing  and  cursing  the  donkey,  "  He  ! 
He  !  Yallah  !  " — to  encourage  him  to  hasten 
forward  and  reach  the  gates  of  the  Holy  City 
before  sunrise. 

When  Jabber  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
his  keen  ears  had  not  deceived  him,  he  descended 
towards  the  main  road  and,  enveloped  in  his  grey 
and  white  Abba,  sat  down  on  a  rock  to  await 
Ibrahim's  arrival.  As  soon  as  his  cousin  was  near 
enough,  he  rose  and  advanced  to  greet  him  with 
an  "  Allah  ye  sabhak  bil  kher  ya  Abu  Muham- 
mad." ^  Ibrahim  at  once  recognised  the  voice  of 
his  cousin  Jabber  es  Sa]eh,  and  answered  his 
greeting.  ''  Ja  saba'h  el  kher,  ya  Abu  Abed  ! 
—Oh  !  morning  with  plenty — Oh  !  Father  of 
Abed,"  he  said.  And  both  men  walked  silently 
for  a  few  moments  in  the  direction  of  the  town. 

The  arid  mountains  around  them  were  tinged 
a  roseate  colour  and  by  degrees  the  white-washed 
mosque  of  the  village  of  Beth-Safafa  came  into 
view.  As  it  did  so  a  prayer,  addressed  to  the 
patron-prophetess  El  Badariyeh,  was  muttered 
by  both  men.  Little  did  they  think  that  the 
venerated  Badariyeh  of  the  Moslems  was  a 
Christian  saint  before  the  Aurora  of  the  Greeks, 

1  "  God  give  you  a  plentiful  morning,  oh  !  Abu  Muhammad." 
Every  Oriental  enjoys  the  title  of  Abu,  which  corresponds  to 
our  Mr. 


130  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

and  probably  before  that  dedicated  to  some 
Ashteroth  of  the  Israehtes  and  Canaanites,  since 
most  sanctuaries  in  Palestine  can  be  traced  to  the 
dawn  of  history. 

When  their  prayer  was  at  an  end,  Jabber  has- 
tened to  unburden  his  mind  of  the  information 
which  had  prompted  him  to  go  to  meet  his  cousin 
on  the  road  at  such  an  unusual  hour.  He  disclosed 
to  Ibrahim  that  his  brother,  Said  es-Saleh,  was  in 
prison  at  Jerusalem. 

"  Wa  hayat  hal  Badariyeh ! — By  the  life 
of  the  Saint !  "  said  he,  lifting  his  hand  in  the 
direction  of  the  rose-tinted  mosque,  "  I  declare 
that  poor  Said  is  innocent ;  and  he  has  sent  me 
to  ask  you  to  go  see  him,  bring  him  some  food 
and  help  him  out  of  his  position." 

Lowering  his  voice,  as  if  the  surrounding  fields 
had  ears,  he  added  : — 

''  He  is  suspected  of  having  stolen  a  huge  sum 
of  money  from  the  Latin  Convent  at  Jerusalem. 
You  are  known  to  have  influence  with  the  officials, 
so  do  your  best  to  deliver  him." 

Money  questions  are  always  interesting,  and 
especially  were  they  so  to  Ibrahim,  whose  crafty 
mind  at  once  detected  a  gold  mine.  But  he 
feigned  to  disregard  the  pecuniary  side  of  the 
matter  and  take  an  interest  only  in  the  prisoner's 
welfare.  Poor  Said !  Another  innocent  one 
within  the  clutches  of  the  hated  Turk  !  Promising 
to  do  what  he  could,  he  advised  his  cousin  to  leave 


ORIENTAL    BARGAINING  131 

him  there  and  then,  lest  they  should  be  seen 
together  and  arouse  suspicion.  So  Jabber  promptly 
left  him  and  crossed  the  plain  towards  his  native 
home. 

II 

Immediately  Ibrahim  drove  up  the  hill  towards 
the  Jaffa  Gate,  where  he  was  met  by  a  greengrocer, 
who  gave  him  a  piaster  and  a  half  for  breakfast, 
and  thus  prepared  him  favourably  in  view  of  the 
purchase  of  his  tomatoes.  Before  they  had  reached 
the  little  plateau  in  front  of  the  gate  the  grocer 
caUed  out  to  the  Kahwadji  of  a  neighbouring 
coffee-house  to  bring  two  cups  of  coffee,  and, 
stopping  Ibrahim's  donkey,  pointed  to  two  low 
stools.  When  seated,  the  grocer  offered  his 
companion  thirty  piasters  Sagh^  for  the  thirty 
rottels^  of  tomatoes.  After  a  good  deal  of  cursing 
and  swearing  "  by  his  eyes  and  his  head,  his 
children  and  his  own  presence  "  that  this  offer 
was  "  a  total  loss  "  to  him,  they  agreed  and  rose 
to  continue  their  journey  through  the  gate.  Very 
soon  they  reached  the  grocer's  shop  and  the 
tomatoes  were  poured  out  on  to  the  floor,  with 
a  few  crushed  fruit  at  the  bottom.  This  gave  rise 
to  new  imprecations. 

"  I  have  no  distilhng  shop  here,  son  of  a  dog," 
cried  the  grocer.     "  Do  you  think  I  am  about  to 

^  About  5s. 

2  A  rottel  is  equal  to  six  and  a  half  pounds. 


132  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

set  up  a  drinking  den,  you  dirty  Fellah.  Accursed 
son  !     Kafer  !     Infidel !  " 

Finally  the  irate  tradesman  gave  Ibrahim 
twenty-eight  piasters  and,  to  boot,  almost  flung 
him  out  of  the  shop. 

As  though  quite  accustomed  to  this  treatment, 
Ibrahim  coolly  moved  away  with  his  donkey 
towards  a  Khan,  where  he  hastened  to  put  up  the 
animal  before  hurrying  to  the  Saraia,  or  Governor's 
Palace,  which,  as  in  olden  times,  was  adjacent 
to  the  prison.  ^  All  the  time  he  had  been  occupied 
with  the  greengrocer,  and  indeed  ever  since  he 
had  left  Jabber,  his  thoughts  had  centred  around 
his  imprisoned  cousin.  Whilst  on  his  way  he 
stopped  in  the  market  to  buy  a  few  cakes  for 
Said,  and  on  reaching  his  destination  obtained 
admittance  to  see  him  by  giving  a  few  coppers  to 
the  prison-porter.  On  seeing  his  unfortunate 
cousin  he  gravely  shook  his  head  and  exclaimed  : 
"Poor  Said !  How  the  vermin  have  devoured  you ! 
In  what  a  sorry  condition  are  your  clothes  !  " 

Said  replied  that  there  was  little  to  wonder  at 
in  that  ;  there  were  more  than  twenty  in  his  cell, 
and  every  one  tried  to  sleep  as  best  he  could  on  the 
bare  ground.  Penniless,  he  received  the  least 
food  possible.  After  having  eagerly  devoured 
the  few  cakes  Ibrahim-had  brought  with  him,  they 
retired  to  a  corner  of  the  court  and,  squatting 
there.  Said  told  him  his  story. 

1   Cf.    Jeremiah  xxxii.    2. 


By  permission  of 


,    Juiisalem 


Jaffa  Gate 


A   LUCRATIVE    CONFESSION       133 

"  As  you  know,  I  was  a  servant  of  the  Secretary 
and  Prior  of  the  Convent  of  the  Redeemer  in 
Jerusalem,  and  many  big  sums  of  money  passed 
through  his  hands.  The  Secretary  was  in  the 
habit  of  carelessly  putting  the  money-box  under 
his  bed,  before  carrying  it  to  the  bank.  One  day 
the  Prior  fell  ill  and,  after  a  few  days'  unconscious- 
ness, died,  without  anybody  knowing  of  the 
treasure  in  his  room.  Here  was  a  good  oppor- 
tunity for  me.  As  they  carried  the  dead  body 
into  the  chapel,  I  appropriated  the  money-box, 
containing  no  less  than  30,000  Napoleons,  and  that 
very  night  buried  the  money  in  Beth-Safafa ; 
and  whilst  they  were  still  officiating  about  the 
dead  body  I  was  back  again  in  the  convent 
without  anyone  having  noticed  my  absence.  But 
after  a  few  days  it  transpired  that  the  money-box 
had  disappeared.  I  was  arrested  and  charged  with 
theft.  There  is  no  proof,  however,  and  as  long 
as  I  feign  to  be  poor  they  cannot  prove  my  guilt 
even  in  the  future.  Now,  cousin,"  said  the  guileful 
Said,  "  I'll  tell  you  where  the  money  is.  Go  and 
take  it  away  and  hide  it  until  we  see  better  days. 
Then  we  can  divide  it.  But  in  the  meantime 
take  a  few  hundred  pounds  and  get  me  out  of 
prison.  Buy  clothes  and  food  for  me  ;  bribe  the 
officials,  so  that  I  may  be  better  treated  until  my 
innocence  is  proved.  You  will  find  the  box 
buried  a  foot  deep  in  the  earth  on  the  small  hill 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  solitary  olive-tree  which 


134  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

is  in  a  straight  line  west  of  the  Badariyeh.  Swear 
to  me  by  the  Badariyeh,  my  cousin,  that  you  will 
dig  out  the  box  and  help  me." 

Ibrahim  promptly  swore  by  the  Badariyeh  and 
by  God  that  he  would  take  the  treasure  without 
delay — "  provided  it  is  still  there,"  he  added, 
with  a  crafty  and  sceptical  look.  And  having 
taken  a  farewell  cup  of  coffee,  which  the  jailer 
provided,  Ibrahim  departed. 

Ill 

That  same  evening  Ibrahim  et  Taiesh  went  out 
to  Beth-Safafa  and  passed  the  night  at  his  cousin's. 
He  discovered  that  nobody  but  himself  and  Said 
knew  anything  about  the  treasure,  so  he  wisely 
kept  his  tongue  still  on  that  point.  The  informa- 
tion he  gave  the  imprisoned  man's  friends  and 
relatives  concerned  the  horrible  state  of  the  prison, 
the  thieves  and  murderers  who  were  Said's 
companions — all  sorts  of  disreputable  people, 
mostly  Fellahin  of  the  Jerusalem  district,  whose 
company  would  only  corrupt  the  poor  fellow. 
Ibrahim  went  on  to  say  that  he  had  come,  there- 
fore, to  collect  some  money  from  them  to  help  to 
better  his  miserable  condition.  That  evening 
a  few  hundred  Beshliks^  were  collected  and  these 
Ibrahim  promised  to  take  home,  to  try  to  find 
some  more  in  Urtas  to  add  to  them,  and  then  to 
set  to  work  for  the  prisoner's  release. 

^  A  Beshlik  is  about  5d. 


,-.Vh 


A    TREASURE    FOUND    AND    LOST      135 

Early  next  moming,  when  it  was  yet  dark, 
Ibrahim  left  Beth-Safafa  and  found  the  tree  be- 
neath which  the  treasure  was  buried.  Unearthing 
the  money-box  without  much  difficulty,  he 
hid  its  contents  in  his  pockets  and  baskets 
and,  abandoning  the  box,  quietly  returned  to 
Urtas. 

Weeks  and  months  passed  and  still  poor  Said 
was  waiting  in  vain  for  the  promised  help.  Ibrahim 
never  went  to  pay  him  as  much  as  a  visit,  but  sent 
Jabber  to  tell  him  that  he  had  not  been  able  to 
carry  out  "  the  commission,"  and  therefore  he 
could  do  nothing  for  him,  except  send  bread  and 
oil  from  time  to  time,  thanks  to  a  collection  which 
had  been  made  for  him.  Finally,  declaring  that 
he  was  tired  of  bribing  the  officials  to  no  effect, 
he  advised  Said  to  await  his  turn  to  be  released, 
and,  like  the  chief  of  the  butlers  in  Pharaoh's 
days,  did  his  best  "  to  forget  him."  ^ 

To  keep  Said  in  prison  the  authorities  of  the 
convent  had  from  time  to  time  to  disburse  sums 
of  money.  This  prompted  them,  at  last,  to  plead 
"  not  guilty  "  for  their  old  servant ;  and  thus 
Said's  first  trials  came  to  an  end. 

Said  was  no  sooner  out  of  prison  than,  thinking 
that  Ibrahim  had  not  succeeded  in  locating  the 
treasure,  he  proceeded  to  the  spot  where  he  had 
buried  it.  But,  much  to  his  disappointment, 
he  found  it  was  gone.     Shortly  afterwards,  whilst 

^  Genesis  xl.  23. 


136  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

on  his  way  to  Urtas,  he  discovered  the  empty 
box  behind  a  bush.  Was  Ibrahim,  he  thought, 
the  culprit  ?  That  was  a  question  he  would  not 
be  long  in  solving. 

Continuing  on  his  way,  he  struck  the  main  road 
to  Bethlehem,  near  Rachel's  tomb.  A  number 
of  Bedawin,  men  and  women,  were  assembled 
there  for  a  funeral  service,  for  the  Bedawin  of  the 
desert  of  Judah  all  bury  their  dead  near  Rachel's 
sanctuary,  as  their  forefathers  the  Israelites  of 
old  did  around  their  sanctuaries.^  Being  a  good 
Moslem,  he  joined  the  assembly  and  told  them 
how,  just  out  of  prison,  he  was  on  his  way  to  his 
cousin  Ibrahim,  at  Urtas.  Then  he  left  them, 
and  before  evening  arrived  in  the  village.  Said 
fully  expected  to  find  his  cousin  a  wealthy  man, 
but,  to  his  astonishment  and  delight,  instead  of 
finding  luxury  and  abundance,  he  found  the  whole 
family,  consisting  of  Ibrahim,  his  wife,  and  nine 
children,  all  in  one  room  just  home  from  hard 
work  in  the  fields,  and  about  to  sit  down  to  an 
almost  poor  supper  of  lentils  and  bread.  He  was 
given  a  hearty  welcome  and  kept  there  for  several 
days,  during  which  he  went  to  work  with  the 
others.  "  No,"  thought  Said,  at  the  end  of  his 
sojourn,  "  there  is  not  the  slightest  sign  of  wealth 
here.  I  am  sorry  to  have  suspected  my  cousin 
of  villainy."  And  forthwith  he  decided  to  go 
back  to  Jerusalem  and  find  work  in  his  old  convent ! 

^  Genesis  xlix.  31. 


BLOODY    FEUDS  137 

IV 

During  many  centuries  bloody  feuds  had  been 
carried  on  in  the  village  of  Urtas  between  Ibrahim's 
and  Salem's  people.  ^  About  the  time  of  Said's 
release  from  prison  the  head  of  Ibrahim's  adverse 
party  was  not  very  prosperous  financially.  But, 
being  in  favour  with  the  officials  in  Jerusalem, 
he  was  elected  Mayor  of  the  village.  The  two 
enemies  closely  watched  each  other,  and  Ibrahim 
knew  that  if  he  showed  the  least  imprudence  his 
ill-gotten  wealth  would  soon  be  discovered  and 
be  a  cause  for  new  trouble.  For  the  time  being, 
poverty,  he  decided,  was  the  best  policy. 

Years  went  by  and  the  arrogance  of  Salem  grew 
apace.  Vexations  of  all  kinds  were  heaped  upon 
Salem's  enemies.  Ibrahim  and  his  wife  were 
bound  together — an  unspeakable  insult  in  Islam — 
and  were  taken  to  gaol  to  Hebron  on  the  most 
futile  motive.  After  a  time  they  were  released 
by  order  of  the  officials.  Ibrahim's  people  were 
charged  with  double  and  treble  taxes  ;  his  fourteen 
and  fifteen-year-old  sons  were  denounced  as 
twenty  and  of  an  age  for  conscription,  and  money 
had  to  be  paid  in  Jerusalem  to  convince  the 
authorities  that  they  were  still  under  age.  At  last 
the  vexations  became  too  hard,  a  plot  was  formed 
and  Salem  was  found  dead.  ^  Whereupon  Ibrahim 
and   some   of    the    leaders    of    his    party    were 

1  See  Murder  and  Marriage  in  Urtas,  pp.  122,  123. 

2  Ibid.,  p.  123. 


138  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

imprisoned,  and  for  over  two  years  had  to  feed  on 
"  the  bread  of  affliction  and  the  water  of  afflic- 
tion."^ When  Salem's  party  had  exhausted  its 
funds  by  bribing  the  officials  to  keep  its  enemies 
in  prison,  it  became  Ibrahim's  turn  to  show  the 
power  of  his  hand.  He  and  his  people  were 
released,  and  the  moment  that  he  stepped  out  of 
prison  he  knew  that  his  buried  money,  now  that 
Salem  was  dead,  could  be  used  advantageously. 

Not  very  long  afterwards  he,  in  turn,  was  elected 
Mayor  of  Urtas.  By  slow  degrees  he  got  back 
the  family  lands,  gardens  and  vineyards  which — 
to  his  dishonour  2 — had  been  mortgaged.  After 
a  life  of  poverty  and  many  hardships  he  again  came 
into  the  possession  of  the  properties  inherited 
from  his  forefathers — the  result,  as  everyone 
concluded,  of  a  life  of  assiduous  labour,  and  an 
evident  blessing  from  Allah,  the  bestower  of  all 
good  things. 

1  I.  Kings  xxii.  27. 

2  A  Fellah  is  only  considered  to  be  really  wealthy  when  he 
possesses  land,  and,  like  Naboth  of  old  (see  I.  Kings  xxi.  1,  3  and  4), 
he  will  not  readily  part  with  the  inheritance  of  his  fathers.  Losing 
his  land  is  as  much  a  dishonour  as  possessing  a  dishonoured  wife. 


VIII 

AN    EYE    FOR    AN    EYE 

I 

The  frogs  of  Jericho  had  reached  the  noisiest 
part  of  their  nocturnal  concert.  Croak  had  begun 
to  answer  croak  fully  a  couple  of  hours  before, 
and  now  the  whole  countryside  echoed  with  the 
harsh  rasping  notes  from  a  hundred  thousand  dis- 
tended cheek-pouches.  The  howling  of  jackals 
in  the  distance  alone  broke  the  monotonous  song. 
Yet  the  small  mud-hut  town,  enclosed  by  D 6m- tree 
hedges  and  inhabited  by  a  few  hundred  poor 
Bedawin  agriculturists,  tranquilly  slept  on,  and 
the  habitues  of  the  modern  buildings  which  serve 
as  hotels  on  the  outskirts  turned  not  once  in  their 
sleep.  Only  Philip  Ralston,  a  new-comer  to  the 
country,  found  a  difficulty  in  slumbering. 

" ranaeque  palustres 

Avertunt  somnos," 

he  said  to  himself,  as  the  incessant  croaking 
brought  the  words  of  Horace  to  his  mind,  and, 
what  with  the  frogs,  the  heat  and  the  fierce  buz- 
zing of  baffled  mosquitoes  outside  his  tightly- 
drawn  curtains,  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that, 
tired  out  though  he  was  with  his  six  hours'  ride  from 
Jerusalem,  he  was  destined  to  pass  a  sleepless 
night. 

139 


140  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

It  was  Philip  Ralston's  first  visit  to  the  East, 
and  his  mind  was  full  of  those  delightful  early 
impressions  which  are  produced  by  the  unfamiliar 
scenery  of  a  new  country,  full  of  light  and  colour, 
and  the  strange  picturesqueness  of  a  new  people. 
Fresh  from  Oxford,  where  he  had  pursued  his 
studies  with  infinite  credit,  he  had  come  out  to 
Palestine,  at  the  invitation  of  his  uncle  Theodore 
Ralston,  a  prosperous  English  trader  and  old 
resident  of  Jerusalem,  with  the  object  of  per- 
fecting his  knowledge  of  Arabic  and  exploring 
the  land  to  which  his  thoughts  had  so  often  turned. 
He  had  an  ardent  desire  to  know  the  country  as 
his  uncle  Theodore  knew  it :  to  traverse  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  high-lands  of  Palestine,  formed 
by  the  running  down  of  two  mountain  chains 
from  Lebanon  and  Anti-Lebanon, — to  wander  on 
the  lowlands  of  the  Jordan  valley,  or  El  Ghor, 
between  those  two  ranges,  and  on  the  Plains  of 
Sharon,  along  the  shore  of  the  Mediterranean, — 
to  see  the  Jordan  rise  at  the  foot  of  snow-capped 
Mount  Hermon  and,  perhaps,  to  follow  its  course 
to  the  south  end  of  the  Dead  Sea,  nearly  four 
thousand  feet  below  Jerusalem  and  more  than  a 
thousand  below  the  level  of  the  Mediterranean. 
Ah !  thought  the  weary  Philip  Ralston,  what 
pleasures  were  in  store  for  him  !  He  had  had  a 
foretaste  of  them  that  day  when,  whilst  riding 
with  his  uncle  to  Jericho,  they  had  tarried  on  the 
Mount  of  Olives  to  view  the  Mountains  of  Moab  ; 


EL    GHOR  141 

an  immense  blue  wall — beautiful  to  behold — 
rising  in  the  Transjordanic  region. 

But  how  hot  it  was  in  El  Ghor  !  He  could 
understand,  now,  that  110°  in  the  shade  had  been 
registered  there  on  May  8th,  1847,  and  why  some- 
one had  said  that  Jericho  was  **  the  hottest  place 
next  to  hell !  " 

Was  uncle  Theodore  sleeping  through  it  all  ? 
he  wondered.  But  the  point  was  left  undebated,  for 
just  then  the  incessant  croak,  croak,  croak  of  the 
frogs  performed  its  work  and  Philip  Ralston, 
turning  over  on  his  side,  at  last  found  sleep. 

II 

Uncle  and  nephew  were  in  the  saddle  at  dawn, 
riding  towards  the  Jordan.  They  had  not  been 
on  their  journey  across  the  broad  valley  for  more 
than  an  hour  before  there  occurred  one  of  those 
little  wayside  incidents  which  so  delighted  the 
heart  of  Philip  Ralston.  At  a  turning  of  the 
white,  dusty  road  they  saw  coming  towards  them, 
on  a  pure-bred  Arab  steed,  a  fine-looking  Bedawi 
chief.  He  was  riding  slowly,  as  the  Bedawin 
always  do,  except  when  in  danger,  and  was  armed 
and  accoutred  in  accordance  with  his  station.  A 
carabine  was  hanging  from  his  saddle-knob  ;  he 
was  girded  by  a  Damascene  sword,  inlaid  with 
silver  ;  and  on  his  shoulder  he  was  carrying  his 
heavy  twelve-foot  long  spear,  with  its  ornamental 
crown  of  black  ostrich  feathers — about  the  size 

II— (2131) 


142  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

of  a  man's  head — around  the  shaft,  just  below  the 
blade.  The  breast  and  belly  of  his  fine  mare 
were  entirely  covered  with  long  tassels  in  red, 
green,  white  and  yellow,  to  ward  off  the  flies,  and 
as  it  proudly  stepped  along  these  pendent  orna- 
ments danced  and  shimmered  in  the  morning  sun 
like  gems  suspended  on  silken  cords. 

"  Ah  !  an  old  friend  of  mine  !  "  exclaimed 
Theodore  Ralston,  on  seeing  the  Bedawi.  "  Now, 
Philip,  my  boy,  you  will  take  your  first  lesson  in 
Eastern  ceremonial." 

And  he  pushed  forward  on  his  horse  to  offer  the 
customary  greeting  :  **  Salaam  aleik — Peace  be 
to  you  !  " 

"  Aleik  es-salaam  ! — And  to  you  peace  also  !  " 
responded  the  Bedawi,  a  stately  man  with  black 
moustachios  and  a  beard  resembling  that  of 
Napoleon  III,  but  without  its  artifice. 

**  Sleem  Ali-el-Thiab,  this  is  my  nephew,  Philip 
Ralston,  who  has  come  from  afar  to  be  one  of  us," 
continued  the  uncle,  in  the  purest  Arabic.  "  We 
are  on  our  way  to  feast  our  eyes  on  the  sacred 
waters  of  the  Jordan." 

With  these  words,  the  EngHsh  trader,  as  an 
additional  token  of  friendship,  held  forth  his 
tobacco  bag,  which  every  real  Bedawi  accepts 
gratefully.  Sleem  filled  his  long  pipe  and  returned 
the  pouch,  with  a  wish  that  "  it  might  always 
be  full."  Theodore  Ralston  received  it  back 
and  said,  "  by  your  voice."     These  compliments 


A    BEDAWI    CHIEF  143 

preceded  the  lighting  of  the  pipe,  when  others 
were  exchanged. 

"  May  you  never  know  its  evil/'  said  the  trader, 
as  he  handed  a  hghted  match. 

"  Nor  you  its  heat,"  responded  the  Bedawi, 
as,  with  evident  satisfaction,  he  applied  it  to  the 
bowl  and  began  to  inhale  the  fragrant  smoke. 

Ill 

When  Sleem  AU-el-Thiab,  after  stating  his  busi- 
ness in  Jericho  and  wishing  them,  in  the  name  of 
Allah,  a  safe  journey,  had  gone  on  his  way,  Theo- 
dore Ralston  explained  when  and  where  he  had 
made  this  dignified  man's  acquaintance.  It  was 
a  curious  story,  embodying  a  tragic  adventure  in 
the  life  of  the  Bedawi  chief,  and  full  of  those  little 
known  ethnological  and  scientific  facts  which  can 
only  be  gathered  during  long  years  of  intimate 
contact  with  a  country  and  its  people.  Philip 
felt  that  he  would  not  have  missed  it  for  the  world. 

"  It  was  at  the  beginning  of  April,  1874,  early 
in  the  morning,  that  I  first  saw  Sleem  Ali-el- 
Thiab,"  began  the  trader.  "  He  was  riding  slowly 
along  this  very  road,  but  in  the  opposite  direction 
to  which  he  was  going  to-day,  and  he  was  dressed 
and  armed  in  exactly  the  way  you  have  seen  him. 
I  became  his  friend,  on  trotting  up  to  him  with  a 
*  Salaam  aleik,'  after  going  through  identically 
the  same  ceremonial  you  have  just  witnessed.  A 
remarkable  fact — this  unchangeableness  of  things 


144  IHE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

in  the  East ;  and  the  longer  you  live  in  Palestine 
the  more  you  will  notice  it.  Men  grow  old,  as 
Sleem  and  I,  alas  !  show  only  too  clearly,  but 
habits  and  customs  and  modes  of  thought  remain 
the  same.  That  is  why  you  so  often  hear  me  speak 
of  the  Immovable  East. 

"  Well,  when  the  ice  was  broken  by  my  offering 
him  the  tobacco  pouch  and  we  rode  on  together,  I 
learnt  that  he  was  a  son  of  Ali-el-Thiab  of  the 
Aduan  tribe.  Consequently  his  full  name  is  Sleem 
Ah-el-Thiab-el-Aduan.  The  Aduans  are  a  warlike 
people  of  the  Transjordanic  region  who  winter  on 
the  Plain  of  Sittim  and  pass  most  of  the  summer 
and  autumn  on  the  highlands  of  Moab.  The 
eastern  portion  of  the  plain,  with  Nimrin  as  a 
centre,  consists  of  fine  arable  land,  interspersed, 
here  and  there,  by  miles  of  forests  of  the  Lote- 
tree,  or  Rhamnus  nabeca,  which  is  also  known 
among  the  Arabs  as  the  D  6m- tree  or  Sidr,  and 
which  is  noteworthy  for  its  thorn-apples,  the 
only  fruit  of  the  Bedawi  and  much  appreciated, 
when  dried  by  the  natives,  for  their  sweet  flavour. 
These  D 6m- forests,  as  Sleem  told  me,  are  almost 
impenetrable  to  man.  Hyaenas,  jackals,  wolves, 
and  foxes  abound,  whilst  birds  of  every  kind, 
from  vultures  to  titmice,  make  themselves  at 
home  in  the  thickets.  Like  the  frogs  of  Jericho 
by  night,  so  in  these  dense  forests  do  two  kinds 
of  turtle-doves,  in  wailing  tones,  call  out  all  day 
long  :  one   for   its   lost   plumage — *  Ya-joukh-ti ! 


LIFE    IN    THE    THICKET  145 

Ya-joukh-ti !  ' — and  the  other,  a  sacred  bird, 
thanking  its  creator — '  Ya  kareem  !  Ya  kareem  ! 
— Oh  !  merciful !  Oh  !  merciful !  '  Big  snakes 
of  all  kinds  steal  along  through  the  undergrowth 
hunting  for  mice  and  birds.  There  is  the  immense 
Esculap  of  the  Colubridse  family  of  Ophidians 
and  the  bluish-black  Zamenis  carhonarius,  which 
often  exceeds  two  yards  and  rises  to  half  its  length 
when  about  to  strike ;  and  this  Carhonarius, 
otherwise  called  *  Hanash/  is  certainly,  with  the 
Esculap,  the  '  Na'hash  '  of  the  Bible, — the  brazen 
serpent  of  Moses. 

*'  Such  is  the  home  of  Sleem  Ali-el-Thiab-el- 
Aduan. 

"  As  he  told  me  these  things,  we  rode  along  the 
cornfields,  the  ears  often  rising  high  above  our 
heads  and  giant  marygolds  lining  the  fields. 
Sleem  also  spoke  about  the  forthcoming  harvest 
and  the  part  they  would  have  to  give  to  the  *  vile 
Fellah.'  For  a  self-respecting  Bedawi  never  tills 
the  ground,  but  lets  his  lands  to  the  Fellah  of  the 
Jerusalem  district,  who  does  the  work  and  furnishes 
the  seed,  giving  a  quarter  of  the  gross  receipts 
in  return  to  the  landlord. 

"  After  the  arable  lands  and  forests  came  a 
sandy  desert,  where  reptiles  and  mice  abound, 
and  which  stretches,  as  you  will  later  see, 
as  far  as  the  marly  hills  preceding  Jordan. 
Here  Sleem  called  my  attention  to  the 
dangerous  nature  of  the  surroundings — to  these 


146  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

slimy  hills,  where  not  only  boars  hide  in  the 
rushes  but  where  men  might  easily  lie  in  wait 
for  stray  travellers.  His  mind  seemed  singularly 
full  of  suspicion^  and  I  could  tell  from  his  quick 
glances  to  right  and  left  that  he  was  on  his  guard 
against  some  possible  unseen  enemy.  In  another 
half -hour  we  reached  the  forest  of  poplars,  willows 
and  licorice-trees,  and  it  was  then  that  an  incident 
occurred  which  has  a  direct  bearing  on  my  story. 
Sleem  suddenly  pulled  in  his  horse  and  warned 
me,  with  a  sharp  cry,  to  do  the  same.  With  his 
eyes  directed  on  the  road  in  front  of  him  and  a 
stern  look  on  his  face,  he  and  his  tightly-reined-in 
mare  stood  like  a  statue. 

"  *  Tarsha  !  '  he  exclaimed. 

"  And  there,  indeed,  in  front  of  us,  I  saw  a 
Daboia  viper  crossing  the  road.  Once  it  stopped 
and  blew  up  its  head  in  the  Cobra  di  Capello 
fashion,  but  soon  it  proceeded  on  its  way  and  dis- 
appeared in  the  shrubs.  I  was  for  going  after  it, 
but  Sleem  told  me  not  to  interfere,  as  only  the 
Dervishes,  or  Moslem  monks  belonging  to  the 
holy  order  of  the  Sheikh  Ehmad  el-Erf  a 'i,  who  lived 
in  the  days  of  the  glory  of  the  Khaleefs  of  Meso- 
potamia, had  authority,  as  viper-charmers,  to 
meddle  with  snakes. 

"  *  Heed  not  this  Tarsha,  the  Deaf,'  said  the 
Bedawi,  solemnly.  *  Shale  illah !  ya  rjahl 
Allah  ! — Respect  to  God,  oh  !  men  of  God  !  Does 
not    the    viper-charmer    himself    bid    everybody 


THE    DEAF    ADDER  147 

leave  snakes  alone  ?  This  Deaf  One,  friend, 
heareth    not !  ' 

"  You  know  what  the  Psalmist  says,  Philip  ? 
*  The  wicked  are  like  the  deaf  adder  that  stoppeth 
her  ear  ;  which  will  not  harken  to  the  voice  of 
charmers,  charming  never  so  wisely.'  The 
Immovable  East  again,  my  boy. 

"  And  perhaps  it  was  just  as  well  I  followed 
Sleem's  advice,  for  the  Dahoia  Xanthina,  which, 
like  many  vipers,  coils  and  lifts  its  head  ready  to 
strike,  and  then  darts  in  the  direction  of  its  victim, 
is  a  particularly  dangerous  creature.  A  mere 
scratch  from  its  fangs  is  sufficient  to  cause  certain 
death.  It  is  generally  very  little  over  a  yard  in 
length,  but  is  as  thick  as  the  Esculap.  A  nasty 
customer  is  the  Tarsha,  or,  as  it  is  less  poetically 
called,   the   Za'ara — the   short-tailed. 

"  Our  meeting  the  Daboia  seemed  to  cast  a 
cloud  over  Sleem  Ali-el-Thiab's  mind.  He 
remained  silent  until  we  had  crossed  the  Jordan. 
There  was  no  bridge  over  the  river  in  those  days, 
and  as  my  new  friend  was  unable  to  swim,  I  had 
to  cross  the  stream  four  times  :  twice  for  him  and 
his  mare  and  twice  for  my  one  horse  and  my 
clothes.  In  this  way  we  lost  quite  an  hour  and  a 
half. 

**  It  was  the  sight  of  some  caves  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountains  of  Moab,  and  when  we  had  been  on 
the  road  again  two  hours  or  so,  which  caused 
Sleem  to  open  his  mouth  once  more. 


148  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

"  '  God  curse  him  !  '  he  exclaimed,  with  a  bit- 
terness which  made  me  give  a  quick  glance  at  his 
still  solemn,  thoughtful  face. 

"  I  asked  him  to  whom  he  referred,  whereupon 
he  told  me  the  story  of  the  adventure  which  the 
Daboia  and  the  caves  had  brought  to  his  mind. 

"  The  Rascheidy  Bedawin  of  the  western  shores 
of  the  Dead  Sea  had  come,  he  related,  on  a  cattle- 
lifting  expedition  to  the  eastern  shores  and  were 
overtaken  by  the  Aduans.  In  their  retreat,  an 
Aduany  Bedawi  was  killed  by  Muhammad  el- 
Rachidi  of  the  Rascheidy,  and,  as  Moslem  law 
recognises,  Muhammad  was  a  blood-debtor  to 
Sleem  and  all  the  Thiab  family.  Both  Jewish  and 
Moslem  lawgivers  are  of  the  same  opinion  on  this 
point.  We  read  in  Exodus^ :  *  He  that  smiteth 
a  man  so  that  he  die  shall  be  surely  put  to  death,' 
and  a  little  further  on  ^ :  '  Eye  for  eye,  tooth  for 
tooth,  hand  for  hand,  foot  for  foot,  burning  for 
burning,  wound  for  wound,  stripe  for  stripe.' 
The  Koran  ^  says  :  '  Believers  !  RetaHation  is  set 
up  for  murder.  A  freeman  shall  be  put  to  death 
for  a  freeman,  a  slave  for  a  slave,  a  woman  for  a 
woman,  and  so  forth.' 

"  Now,  years  had  passed  since  this  encounter 
between  the  two  tribes,  and,  though  a  Moslem 
never  forgives,  Muhammad,  who  had  business 
to  attend  to  away  from  home,  had  almost  forgotten 
that    Aduans    might    be    roaming   about.     Still, 

1  xxi.   12.  2  Verses  24  and  25.  »  Sura  ii.   175. 


FACE    TO    FACE  149 

in  the  instinctive  manner  of  a  Rascheidy  Bedawi, 
he  cautiously  crossed  the  Jerusalem  to  Jericho 
road  and  hid  in  a  cave  above  the  declivity  of  the 
Wady  Kelt,— the  Brook  Cherith  of  the  Bible. 
There,  in  order  to  avoid  encountering  an  enemy 
whilst  on  his  way  home  and  on  a  prospective  visit 
up  El  Ghor  to  the  Beni  Sakhr  (who  roam  about 
Bashan  and  Gahlee),  he  went  to  sleep,  intending 
to  come  out  at  nightfall  and  continue  his  journey. 
Just  before  dusk  he  peeped  out  of  his  hiding 
place.  But  at  that  very  moment,  to  his  terror, 
an  Aduany  was  passing  and  caught  sight  of  him. 
It  was  Sleem,  the  son  of  Ali-el-Thiab. 

"  '  Ya  mal'un  il  waldain  ! — Cursed  of  both 
parents  !  '  cried  Sleem,  riding  up  with  his  hand  on 
his  sword.  '  Have  you  fallen  at  last  into  the  hands 
of  men  ?  ' 

"  Terror-stricken,  Muhammad  el-Rachidi  begged 
for  his  life,  crying  :  '  Ana  fi  dakh-lak — I  am 
under  your  protection  !  ' 

"  Now,  it  is  an  unwritten  law  among  these 
people  that  a  dignified  Bedawi  ought  never  to  beg, 
even  for  his  life.  Moreover,  Sleem,  the  son  of  a 
great  chieftain,  with  three  hundred  horsemen, 
whose  steeds  and  arms,  at  least,  he  could  call  his 
own,  could  not,  by  reason  of  his  superior  station, 
refuse  a  humble  petition  for  mercy.  So,  as  he 
looked  down,  with  blood-shot  eyes,  on  the  kneeling 
Muhammad,  his  blood  boiled  at  the  thought  that 
he  had  lost  an  occasion  for  vengeance.    How  sweet 


150  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

it  would  have  been  to  have  carried  out  the  law  of 
the  Koran  :  '  A  freeman  shall  be  put  to  death  for  a 
freeman  !  ' 

"  The  well-known  words  had  no  sooner  occurred 
to  him  when  a  strange  thing  happened.  His 
quick  eye  caught  sight  of  a  huge  Daboia  viper 
as  it  coiled  back  into  a  hole  in  the  rock  above 
Muhammad's  head  !  A  thought  flashed  through 
his  brain. 

"  *  Muhammad  el-Rachidi/  said  Sleem,  slowly 
and  with  great  presence  of  mind,  'rise  and  await 
your  destiny.' 

"  *  No/  replied  the  trembling  Bedawi,  *  not 
until  you  have  sworn  that  you  will  not  harm 
me.' 

"  *  Get  up,  accursed  !  '  cried  Sleem,  severely. 
*  I  swear  by  Allah  and  the  life  of  Allah  ! — Wallahi 
Billahi  ! — that  I,  the  son  of  Thiab,  will  not  seek 
your  life,  neither  by  this  firearm' — touching  his 
carabine — *  nor  by  this  steel ' — touching  his 
sword — '  but  will  leave  you  to  die  by  God's  will 
and  when  he  will.  And  now,  Muhammad,  swear 
to  me  that,  in  return,  you  will  never  again  attempt 
anything  against  any  of  my  family,  great  or  small ; 
and  as  we  have  no  prayer-niche  or  other  sacred 
place  near  by,  put  your  hand  into  that  hole,  repre- 
senting a  Mu'hrab  (a  prayer- stand) ' — pointing  to 
the  Daboia' s  retreat — 'and  swear.' 

"  Muhammad  el-Rachidi  rose  and  readily  put 
forth  his  hand,  but  no  sooner  had  it  entered  the 


FATE'S    DEADLY    STROKE  151 

hole  than  the  deadly  stroke  was  given  and  he  fell, 
with  pallid  face,  to  the  ground. 

"  *  Kteeby  wa  inkatbat  ! — the  sentence  was 
written  !  The  sentence  was  written !  '  cried 
Muhammad,  whose  features  were  already  begin- 
ning to  twitch  convulsively,  *  I  was  destined  to 
die  here  and  to-day  !  ' 

"  '  Naseebak  !  God  willed  it  !  It  is  your  lot,' 
cried  Sleem,  fiercely,  as  he  coolly  looked  on  at  the 
agony  of  his  enemy. 

"  A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  the  Bedawi  turned 
rein,  leaving  the  dying  Rascheidy  to  the  jackals 
and  the  hyaenas,  and  rode  at  full  speed  to  his 
tribe,  eager  to  announce  the  happy  yet  fatal  news. 
And  the  women  ululated  and  joy  went  through 
the  camp,  for  the  dead  Aduany  was  revenged. 

"  Such  was  the  story  which  Sleem  Ali-el-Thiab 
related  to  me  when,  invited  to  pay  my  first 
visit  to  his  people,  I  was  riding  with  him  towards 
their  encampment,"  concluded  Theodore  Ralston. 
"As  we  reached  the  *  black  tents  of  Kedar,'  of 
which  the  Bible  tells  us,  night  was  coming  on  and 
barking  dogs  came  forth  to  meet  us.  At  the  tent 
doors  fires  had  been  lit  for  supper  and  women  were 
busy  baking.  Half-naked  children  ran  about  in 
all  directions.  Horses  of  the  finest  breed,  all 
ready  saddled,  were  tethered  at  a  short  distance. 
Cows  and  camels  were  chewing  in  the  central  parts 
of  the  camp.     And,  later,  men  gathered  before 


152  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

the  guest-tent,  sipping  their  coffee  and  smoking 
their  pipes,  to  talk  over  the  events  of  the  day 
and  discuss  the  question  of  a  Ghazu  to  be  under- 
taken as  soon  as  the  harvest  was  over  and  the 
wheat  had  been  stored  away  in  the  wheat- wells." 


o 


cq 


IX 

LAIL 

" Bous  el  kalh  'alia  thimmo,  ta  takhut  'hakak  minno." 

"  Kiss  the  dog  on  the  mouth,  till-  you  obtain  what  you  want  of 
him." — An  Arab  Proverb. 


The  sons  of  Adam  disdain  dogs,  but  in  many 
places  they  raise  us  up  and  utilise  us.  Thus,  in 
the  camp  where  I  lived,  there  were  shepherd 
dogs,  with  thick  fur,  and  watch-dogs,  with  a  smooth 
coat  all  over,  and  the  tall,  thin  greyhounds 
which  are  used  for  hunting  the  gazelles  on  the 
broad  plains  of  Philistia,  near  my  first  home. 

I  was  born  in  camp,  south  of  Beersheba,  and 
belonged  to  a  family  of  the  Azazmeh  Arabs.  On 
account  of  my  jet  black  fur  they  called  me  Lail, 
— Night.  We  travelled  up  and  down  the  desert  of 
Edom.  Sometimes  my  masters  camped  near  the 
borders  of  Gaza.  And  once,  when  our  people  were 
hard  pursued  by  the  Jahaline  Arabs,  with  whom 
we  were  at  war,  we  passed  near  a  village.  When 
young  and  on  the  move,  I  was  carried  on  the 
back  of  a  camel  with  the  children,  but  later  I 
followed — mile  after  mile — on  foot,  with  the 
other  dogs  of  our  community. 

Though  each  dog  belonged  to  a  separate  tent 
and  each  received  his  food  from  his  own  master, 

153 


154  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

we  exercised  our  calling  in  common.  All  night, 
or  whenever  we  heard  strange  sounds,  we  barked. 
We  were  more  indifferent  to  the  wailing  of  jackals  ; 
— we  pitied  the  poor  fellows,  and  they  never 
(except  at  certain  periods,  when  even  jackals  and 
bitches  meet)  came  near  us.  But  we  pricked  up 
the  stumps  of  our  cropped  ears  when  the  hideous 
laughter  of  the  hyaena  was  heard,  and  together 
we  chased  in  the  direction  of  the  enemy.  In 
the  daytime  we  were  generally  at  rest,  within  the 
shadow  of  the  tents,  but  only  until  some  foreigner 
passed.  We  could  easily  distinguish  Fellahin 
or  other  strangers,  who  generally  came  on  foot  or 
on  mules.  Then  we  would  bark  our  loudest. 
But  should  any  Bedawi  or  camels  of  our  own  tribe 
approach  by  day  or  by  night  not  a  dog  would  move 
his  tongue.  Of  course,  there  were  exceptions  to 
the  rule.  A  Bedawi  might  come  in  or  try  to 
enter  from  the  west,  where  the  tent  ropes  indicate 
there  is  no  entrance,  and  that  we  could  never  allow. 
Full  of  experience,  and  covered  with  wounds  and 
scars,  were  my  elders.  Our  first  leader  was  Sabe' — 
the  Lion,  who  really  deserved  his  name.  He  had 
lost  an  eye  in  a  fight  with  a  huge  hyaena,  which, 
creeping  up  to  the  camp,  would  have  carried  off  a 
goat  or  a  sheep  but  for  Saber's  vigilance.  Sabe^ 
attacked  the  hyaena,  but  before  the  other  dogs 
arrived  to  assist  him,  the  beast,  with  his  mighty 
teeth,  had  seized  our  leader's  head  and  pierced  an 
eye.     Feeling  the  dogs  upon  him,  our  enemy  fled 


SCARRED    DOGS  155 

for  his  life  and  told  his  fellows  that  they  had 
"  better  eat  clay  than  risk  a  battle  with  the  dogs 
of  the  Arab."^  The  news  spread,  and  thus  did 
Sabe'  come  to  be  dreaded  by  all  the  wild  beasts 
of  the  neighbourhood. 

Baida,  the  old  white  bitch,  too,  was  marked 
across  her  back  with  scars  which  she  had  received 
in  a  fight  with  two  wolves.  But  for  Ibrak,  the 
black  and  white  dog,  who  became  the  leader  of 
our  band  when  Sabe'  (as  I  will  tell  you  presently) 
was  killed,  she  would  have  been  almost  skinned. 
A  brave  and  trustworthy  chief  was  Ibrak.  His 
master  often  used  to  say  :  "  I  could  not  be  sure  of 
retaining  my  tent  and  my  flocks  without  him. 
His  place  is  marked."  Yet  Ibrak  had  a  broken 
limb,  the  result  of  an  attack  on  our  camp, — this 
time  by  man.  There  were  few  of  us,  indeed — 
and  least  of  all  Hawa,  the  Wind,  who  could  almost 
fly — who  could  not  say  that  he  or  she  had  licked 
an   honourable   wound. 

Looking  back  to  those  days,  I  think  that  I  can 
say  that  we  were  generally  well  treated  by  our 
masters.  Was  it  because  they  needed  us  ?  For 
they  say,  you  know :  "  Kiss  the  dog  on  the 
mouth,  till  you  obtain  what  you  want  of  him." 
Yes  ;  I  think  that  the  Bedawin  are  really  fond 
of  dogs.  Was  not  Sabe'  as  much  loved  by  his 
owner  as  he  was  feared  by  the  wild  beasts  ?  .  .  . 
Poor  Sabe' !     What  a  splendid  leader  he  was  ! — 

1  A  well-known  Arab  proverb. 


156  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

what  keen  senses  he  possessed ! — how  easily  he 
could  detect  the  slightest  smell  or  sound  ! 

II 

Late  one  evening,  when  the  camp-fires  had  died 
out,  an  unaccustomed  sound  was  heard  in  the 
darkness.  As  quick  as  Ughtning,  Sabe'  rushed  in 
the  direction  of  the  noise,  closely  followed  by  Hawa, 
Ibrak,  Beda,  and  the  remainder  of  our  band. 
We  found  a  man  lying  on  the  ground ; — he  had 
stumbled  over  a  peg  and  a  tent-cord.  What 
could  have  been  his  business  there,  late  at  night 
and  coming  from  the  west,  whence  no  honest 
Bedawi  comes  ?  ^  We  all  compassed  him  and 
attacked  him  fiercely,^  and  Sabe^  who  had  bitten 
him  in  the  calf  of  the  leg,  would  surely  have  torn 
him  to  pieces  had  not  the  intruder  shot  him  in  the 
head. 

The  report  of  the  pistol  alarmed  the  camp  and 
in  an  instant  everyone  was  afoot.  Suffering 
from  several  bites,  and  hindered  by  us  from 
escaping,  the  unknown  one  was  soon  captured. 
He  was  beaten  and  put  in  chains  until  morning, 
when  he  was  found  to  belong  to  a  neighbouring 
friendly  tribe.  What  could  have  been  his  object 
in  coming  from  the  west  and  in  the  darkness  of  the 
night  ?  Had  he  come  to  see  a  friend  ?  .  .  . 
However,  a  commission  of  three  men  from  each 

^  The  openings  of  the  tents  in  an  Arab  camp  always  face  the 
East. 

'  Cf.  Psalms  xxii.  16.  ' 


HAPPY    CAMP    LIFE  157 

camp  was  appointed  to  judge  him  for  killing  a  dog. 
And  as  Sabe^,  according  to  his  owner,  was  a  most 
valuable  animal,  the  culprit  was  condemned  to 
pay  for  him, — the  price  being  a  heap  of  flour  as 
high  as  would  reach  the  tip  of  Sabers  tail  when  he 
was  held  vertically  with  his  nose  to  the  ground. 

Afterwards,  when  I  left  the  camp  and  lived  in  a 
town,  I  found  that  dogs  were  killed  without 
anybody  interfering.  But  it  was  different  with 
the  Bedawin,  who  treated  us  really  most  respect- 
fully, compared  with  the  disdainful  treatment  I 
received  among  townsmen.  True,  the  dogs  in 
towns  are  often  very  mean.  But  that  is  because 
they  are  ill-used.  They  have  a  saying,  there,  that 
"  a  dog  begat  a  puppy,  who  turned  out  more 
unclean  than  his  father."  Now,  I  beg  to  ask, 
how  can  a  dog  be  clean  who  feeds  on  carcasses  and 
rubbish,  and  who  lies  down  to  sleep  in  unswept 
streets  ? 

Ah  !  yes,  things  were  very  different  in  my  old 
camp.  I  used  even  to  play  with  the  children  and 
receive  food  from  their  hands.  I  was  young  then, 
for  the  older  dogs  never  play  with  the  children. 
Though  we  had  nearly  always  enough  to  eat, 
the  arrival  of  visitors  was  ever  welcomed  among  us, 
for  that  meant  a  feast  for  all.  The  guests  received 
their  food  in  a  central  tent  and  fed  us  on  the  bones 
and  scraps.  Ours  was  a  social  life  ;  we  rarely 
quarrelled  over  food.  .  .  .  My  thoughts  go  back 
to  a  certain  day  on  which  a  calf  was  torn  to  pieces 

12 — (2131) 


158  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

by  wolves  not  far  from  the  encampment.  When 
our  masters  came  to  the  rescue  the  animal  was 
dead,  so  they  abandoned  it  to  us,  because  they  said 
it  was  unclean.  1  But  we  found  it  anything  but 
that  and  all  agreed  that  man's  tastes  were  strange. 

Ill 

After  Sabe"s  death  Ibrak  became  our  leader, 
and  about  the  same  time  Beda  had  four  young 
ones,  which  she  protected  against  wind  and  cold 
behind  a  tent.  One  day,  a  boy  from  the  inside 
touched  her  soft  fur  and  said  :  "  It  is  really  very 
fine  and  warm."  Whereupon  I  heard  his  father 
reprove  him  and  say  :  *'  Zei  souf  el  klaab,  na'em 
wa  nijiss, — Though  the  dog's  wool  is  soft,  it  is 
unclean."  Feeling  very  sorry  for  Beda,  I 
approached  her  to  show  my  sympathy,  but  she 
flew  at  me  so  fiercely  that  I  ran  away  as  fast  as  I 
could,  yelping  all  the  time.  How  very  queer 
both  men  and  dogs  are  !  Our  masters  speak  of 
us  as  unclean,  yet  we  love  them  dearly  ;  whilst 
we  are  ready,  at  times,  to  persecute  every  weaker 
dog,  though  its  intentions  may  be  of  the  best. 

When  Beda's  puppies  were  three  weeks  old  the 
owner  of  the  last  tent  came  and  asked  for  a  Jarru 
(a  puppy)  and  took  away  a  brown  one.  On 
seeing  this  J  arm's  pendent  ears,  I  imagined  it 
must  be  of  another   race  and  felt   so   glad.     I 

1  Cf.  Exodus  xxii.  31  :  "  And  ye  shall  be  holy  men  unto  me  ; 
neither  shall  ye  eat  any  flesh  that  is  torn  of  beasts  in  the  field  ; 
ye  shall  cast  it  to  the  dogs." 


KATTOOSH  159 

thought  of  the  fun  of  pulUng  them  when  at  play. 
But  the  cruel  man  took  the  poor  browny  to  his 
tent  and,  cutting  his  ears  in  halves,  forced  him  to 
eat  the  bits,  under  the  pretext  that  this  would 
make  him  more  fierce.  The  Jarru  howled  and 
howled  for  hours,  whereupon  the  children  laughed 
and  called  him  Kattoosh, — the  Earless.  He  was 
given  this  name  at  first  for  fun,  but  he  ever 
afterwards  retained  it. 

Kattoosh  remained  a  prisoner  in  a  hen-coop 
for  eight  days.  On  rolling  away  the  stone  at  the 
entrance,  to  shove  in  the  potsherd  containing  his 
meal  of  bread  soaked  in  water,  the  children  daily 
told  each  other  that  he  was  to  remain  there  until 
his  wounds  were  healed.  But  he  was  not  wholly 
free  when  released  from  his  box.  They  attached 
him  for  another  week  to  a  tent-peg,  so  that  he 
might  know  (as  they  said)  his  home  and  his  mas- 
ters. Then  he  was  freed  from  his  cord, — never, 
during  the  whole  of  his  life,  to  be  attached 
again. 

It  was  a  free  life  in  the  camp  of  the  Bedawin, — 
a  life  full  of  new  experiences  and  adventures  with 
Kattoosh.  I  taught  him  to  catch  lizards  and  bark 
and  bite  at  serpents.  But  we  never  ate  any,  as 
jackals  and  cats  do.  We  dogs  preferred  to  eat 
dry  bread,  the  lentils  or  pastry  which  our  masters 
wasted,  and,  once  in  a  while,  to  gnaw  a  bone.  We 
knew,  moreover,  how  to  find  the  carcasses  of 
animals  lying  at  a  distance,  long  before  the  smell 


160  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

reached  us,  by  the  sight  of  the  vultures  and  ravens 
soaring  above  them. 

That  first  winter  of  my  life, — how  well  I  remem- 
ber it !  Continual  rains  brought  much  trouble 
to  our  camp.  We  could  never  find  a  dry  place. 
As  we  had  not  yet  left  the  mountains,  the  flocks 
suffered  terribly  from  scarcity  of  food.  One 
afternoon,  during  a  thunderstorm,  several  weak 
goats  were  lost.  We  hunted  for  them  the  next 
morning  and  at  last  found  their  dead  bodies  near 
some  rocks,  under  the  lee  of  which  they  had  sought 
shelter.  Again  there  was  a  big  feast,  in  company 
with  the  birds  of  the  air  and  the  beasts  of  the  field.  ^ 
We  barked  all  night  to  drive  away  the  jackals  and 
the  hyaenas,  but  at  last  we  could  eat  no  more,  so 
we  returned  to  the  camp  and  slept  until  dawn. 
Only  two  carcasses  were  left,  and  these  were  gnawed 
and  torn,  when  we  later  inspected  the  remains. 
Hyaenas  had  carried  away  the  others.  And  very 
soon  the  ravens  and  the  eagles  finished  the  rest.^ 

On  account  of  the  severe  winter  and  the  stench 
from  the  carcasses,  our  masters  loaded  the  camels 
with  the  tents  and  furniture,  and  set  off  towards 
the  warmer  lowlands.  Whilst  on  the  way  we 
overtook  another  party  of  Arabs,  whose  destina- 
tion was  the  same  as  ours.  The  two  bands,  who 
were  on  friendly  terms,  greeted  each  other  with 
fair  words.  But  I  never  heard  of  dogs  of  different 
camps  doing  the  same.     No  sooner  did  we  see  the 

^  C/.  II.  Samuel  xxi.  10.  •^  Cf.  Proverbs  xxx.  17. 


LEFT    BY    THE    ROADSIDE  161 

rival  pack  than  we  attacked  it  fiercely.  Never 
before  was  there  such  a  barking  and  a  howling, 
such  a  growling  and  a  tearing  at  each  other  as 
then.  Friend  and  foe  were  soon  inextricably 
entangled,  each  snapping  and  jumping  at  his 
neighbour's  throat,  until,  at  last,  the  men  inter- 
fered with  sticks  and  clubs.  ^  In  the  midst  of  this 
terrible  melee  I  received  a  blow  on  the  head  which 
stunned  me  and  left  me  stretched  on  the  ground 
as  though  dead. 

"  Poor  Lail !  "  I  heard  some  of  my  people 
say.     "  What  a  pity  !     Who  was  it  struck  him  ?  " 

As  they  were  discussing  the  matter,  an  elderly 
man   intervened   and   said  : — 

*'  Why  trouble  your  heads  about  him  ?  You 
know  the  proverb  :  '  A  dog  became  a  carcass.' 
Lose  no  more  time  !  Had  it  been  Sabe'  the  One- 
eyed,  or  Ibrak  the  Lame,  or  Hawa  the  Swift, 
or  even  Beda  the  Flayed,  we  might  have  sought 
out  the  evil-doer.  But  it  is  only  Lail !  He  had 
a  big  voice,  a  good  appetite,  and  he  hid  during 
the  night.     Allah  yekhfi, — May  God  hide  him  !  " 

And  they  left  me  lying  in  the  middle  of  the  rough 
roadway.  I  could  hear  their  footsteps  and  voices 
fading  away  in  the  distance  but  could  not  move  a 
hair. 

IV 

The  day  was  far  gone  when  I  heard  strange 
voices  approaching, — voices  surely  not  those  of 

1  Cf.  I.  Samuel  xvii.  43. 


162  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Bedawin.  The  new-comers  rode  on  mules  and 
had  luggage  sacks.  There  were  no  camels,  no 
women,  no  children,  and  not  a  single  dog.  Their 
conversation  had  nothing  to  do  with  either  flocks 
or  camps  or  war  expeditions.  They  spoke  in  a 
strange  dialect  of  buildings  and  towns,  of  the  sale 
of  butter  and  he-goats,  of  money  and  of  the  buying 
of  bread.  Ah  !  how  hungry  I  was  and  how  the 
mention  of  food  made  me  long  for  some  ! 

*'  Halloo  !  "  cried  the  first  man  on  catching 
sight  of  me.  "  Here's  a  dog.  How  came  he 
here  ?  " 

And  uttering  a  strange  call — "  Kss  !  Kss  !  " — 
he  cast  a  morsel  of  bread  in  my  direction.  I  rose 
and  timidly  crept  towards  it,  for  I  feared  their 
strange  faces.  There  was  nought  else  to  strike 
terror  in  my  heart, — neither  sticks,  nor  stones, 
nor  weapons  ;  they  carried  hardly  a  stick  with 
which  to  beat  their  mules. 

I  followed  them  when  the  bread  was  eaten,  for 
what  more  does  a  dog  require  than  bread  and 
human  company  ?  Though  they  were  almost 
always  harsh  to  me  when  I  approached  too  near, 
yet,  from  time  to  time,  they  threw  me  food. 

By  evening  we  came  to  a  stone-built  village. 
The  houses  were  further  apart  than  our  tents, 
which  form  a  protection  one  to  the  other.  There, 
every  house  had  a  protecting  wall  around  it  and  a 
door  leading  into  a  courtyard.  And  every  house 
possessed    a    dog,    which,    barking    and    rushing 


A    DOG'S    DUTY  163 

inside  the  wall,  threatened  to  reach  us.  Evidently 
these  animals  were  of  the  watch-dog  class,  like 
our  own  ;  only  they  did  not  live  together,  as  with 
us.  This  struck  me  as  strange.  For  I  had  always 
imagined  that,  just  as  men  gathered  together,  so 
did  dogs  flock  together  by  night,  when  they  lived 
in  the  same  group  of  houses  or  tents.  There  were 
few  of  these  village  dogs,  too,  which  had  scars. 
Were  they  never  attacked  by  beast  or  by  man  ? 

My  new  masters  tethered  the  mules  in  an  en- 
closure away  from  the  houses,  and  there  I  stood  on 
guard  all  night.  That  is  a  dog's  work,  and  it  is 
well,  in  an  unknown  place,  to  be  loud-voiced  and 
angry.  But  long  before  dawn,  and  whilst  the 
stars  were  still  twinkling,  the  mules  were  packed 
and  off  we  went,  over  hills  and  valleys,  through 
olive-groves  and  vineyards.  Noon  found  us  near 
water,  where  the  mules  drank  and  fed  and  rested  ; 
at  sunset  we  reached  a  big  gate  and  a  place 
surrounded  by  high  walls. 

There  were  no  courtyards  to  the  houses  in  this 
city,  ^  and  as  we  passed  along  the  streets  I  wondered 
where  the  dogs  could  be.  Soon,  every  man  in  our 
party  went  in  a  different  direction,  so  that  I  was 
at  a  loss  to  know  whom  to  follow.  I  could  not 
forget  that  I  was  nobody's  dog  ...  My  choice 
fell  on  the  man  who  had  first  given  me  bread. 
Dismounting  from  his  mule,  he  knocked  at  a 
door,    which    he    entered    with    his    animal.      I 

*  Jerusalem. 


164  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

prepared  to  follow.  But  to  my  disappointment 
he  turned  round  and  kicked  me,  exclaiming  : — 

"  Out !  unclean  dog  !  Barra  !  Yen  'al ! — Out, 
cursed    animal !  " 

And  he  banged  the  door  behind  him, 
murmuring  :  "  Akhs  !  Coward  !  " 

There  I  was,  alone  in  a  great  city,  where  people 
possess  everything  more  plentifully  than  in  a 
camp  yet  have  no  room  for  a  dog.  But  a  faithful 
dog  will  not  abandon  his  master's  house  because 
curses  are  heaped  upon  him.  It  is  true  that  they 
say  :  **  He  who  is  in  need  of  a  dog  calls  him  Hadj 
Ehmad."  However,  as  in  the  fields,  where  I  was 
wanted,  I  continued  my  duty.  All  through  the 
night  and  at  everyone  who  passed  I  barked  my 
loudest.  Many  were  the  stones  which  came  my 
way. 

My  reward  came  with  the  dawn,  when  the  people 
in  the  houses  threw  their  refuse  into  the  streets. 
Soon  I  learnt  that  I  must  pick  up  my  living  in  this 
way  or  die  ;  so  for  several  days  I  sought  among  the 
rubbish  heaps  for  food.  One  morning,  three  or 
four  men  came  along,  dragging  a  dead  ass  out  of 
the  town.  Several  dogs  were  following,  so  I 
joined  them.     Seeing  us,  one  of  the  men  said  : — 

"  Verily  proverbs  are  ever  true  !  Do  not  we 
say  :  '  Mote  il  'Hameer  faraj  lal  klaab — The 
death  of  donkeys  is  providential  for  dogs  ? ' 
Look,  they  are  following  us  already." 

They  dragged  the  dead  ass  beyond  the  city 


By  permisiiun  uj 


The    American   Colony   Photographers,    Jerusalem 


A   Street  in  Jerusalem 


AMONGST   THE    RUBBISH  165 

gates  and  there,  over  the  dunghill,  cast  it  down.^ 
For  a  moment  we  stood  overlooking  the  deep 
declivity,  and  behold,  at  the  bottom,  were  ravens 
and  dogs  searching  for  morsels  among  the  bones  of 
older  skeletons.  Down  we  scampered  and  began 
to  feast  on  the  new  carcass.  Of  course,  there 
was  plenty  for  all,  making  it  needless  to  quarrel. 

With  my  head  all  besmxared  with  blood  (no 
wonder  the  sons  of  Adam  call  us  unclean  !  ) 
I  passed  back  through  the  city  gates  and,  greeted 
with  sticks  and  stones,  ran  for  my  life.  At  the 
end  of  a  long  thoroughfare  with  a  sharp  turning 
I  came  to  a  place  where  many  busy  people  were  in 
front  of  food  shops  and  dogs  were  on  every  side. 
One  bi^  fellow,  covered  with  scars,  was  lying  down 
in  front  of  a  shop  where  a  man  was  cooking  pastry 
and  putting  it  on  plates.  It  was  the  smell  of  the 
Samn  (melted  butter)  which  attracted  my  atten- 
tion. The  well-known  odour  made  me  lift  my 
nose  and  sniff  the  scented  air.  The  man  with  the 
pastry  threw  a  piece  which  had  fallen  on  the 
ground  in  my  direction.  I  pounced  upon  it, 
whereupon  the  big  dog  growled  and  made  a  rush 
to  deprive  me  of  the  tasty  morsel.  Flight  was 
impossible, — I  was  in  a  corner  ;  the  only  thing 
to  do  was  to  back,  imploringly,  against  the  wall. 
But  at  that  moment  the  pastryman  cried  : — 

"  A 'raj  !     What  are  you  about  ?  " 

^  Cf.  Jeremiah  xxii.  19  :  "  He  shall  be  buried  with  the 
burial  of  an  ass,  drawn  and  cast  beyond  the  gates  of  Jerusalem." 


166  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

AVaj,  the  Lame  One,  obeyed  and  limped  back 
to  receive  his  legitimate  share. 

At  last  I  had  found  a  man  who  really  loved  a 
dog. 

V 

Every  day  found  me  outside  the  shop  of  the 
good-hearted  pastrycook.  There  I  had  ample 
opportunity  for  completing  my  city  education. 
Many  were  the  things  which  came  under  my 
observation.  I  noticed,  for  instance,  that  the 
cook's  customers  were  only  men, — that  no  women 
were  about  the  streets,  as  in  the  camp.  One  or 
two  I  had  caught  sight  of  in  the  houses,  but  they 
seldom  went  out  and  very  rarely  to  the  shops. 
Another  impressive  fact  was  that  AVaj  had 
pointed  ears, — a  proof  that  cropping  was  not  gen- 
erally practised  in  the  city.  But  though  many 
dogs  had  whole  ears,  there  was  not  one  without 
scars.  A  little  later  I  learnt  how  these  came. 
One  forenoon,  when  I  was  sleeping,  a  band  of 
boys  came  towards  me  with  sticks  and  stones, 
and  as  I  never  suspected  mischief,  they  covered 
my  body  with  blows  and  wounds.  Ever  after, 
on  the  appearance  of  boys,  I  got  up  and  ran  in  the 
opposite  direction. 

A  Vaj ,  who  was  always  lying  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  his  master's  shop,  was  the  chief  of  his  quarter. 
Every  dog  within  a  hundred  yards  acknowledged 
him  as  leader  and   every  bitch   almost  crawled 


THE    DOGS    OF    JERUSALEM       167 

when  he  stood  up.  When  a  strange  dog,  on  its 
way  from  the  dunghill,  passed  through  the 
pastrycook's  street,  A 'raj  would  give  the  signal 
and  we  would  attack  him  until  he  was  out  of 
our  region.  I  discovered  from  this  that  each  dog 
had  his  own  quarter  and  kept  to  it  as  much  as 
possible. 

Not  far  away  was  the  street  where  the  butchers' 
dogs  congregated.  One  of  them  I  knew  and  thus, 
under  his  protection  (for  I  was  never  very  strong 
and  nobody  ever  feared  that  /  should  become  a 
leader)  I  visited  his  home  and  discovered  his  mode 
of  life.  The  doorposts  and  the  shelves  of  the  shops 
were  all  bloody  and  greasy  ;  skinned  he-goats  and 
rams  hung  outside  on  hooks  ;  and  the  dogs  licked 
the  blood  as  it  dropped  to  the  ground,  or  caught 
the  pieces  of  bone  as  they  flew  from  the  butchers' 
wooden  blocks.  Small  indeed  was  our  portion, 
for  these  greedy  dogs,  that  could  never  be  satisfied, 
would  not  let  us  approach.  ^ 

There  was  no  growing  very  fat  on  the  little  food 
I  found  here  and  there.  The  bare  living  I  found 
was  nothing  in  comparison  with  my  free  field 
and  camp  life.  And  so,  when  I  slept,  I  dreamed 
of  tents  and  Kattoosh,  of  running  with  Sabe'  and 
Beda,  and  with  Ibrak  and  Hawa.  Sometimes  I 
would  jump  up  as  though  jackals  were  approach- 
ing or  distant  sounds  had  broken  upon  the  quietness 
of  the  camp.     How  I  longed  then  for  the  old  home ! 

1  Cf.  Isaiah  Ivi.   11. 


168  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Very  often  herds  of  he-goats  and  rams  passed 
through  our  streets,  driven  by  men  who  had 
knives  in  their  girdles.  Were  they  shepherds  ? 
— thought  I.  Sometimes  they  returned,  carrying 
dead  skinned  animals  on  their  shoulders.  I 
puzzled  over  the  reason  for  this  strange  occurrence. 
One  day  I  determined  to  follow,  and  found  that, 
instead  of  driving  the  animals  to  the  fields,  they 
gathered  them  into  a  dirty  space,  strewn  with 
bones  and  horns,  soaked  with  blood,  and  swarming 
with  flies.  Then  I  began  to  understand.  I  saw 
the  animals  bound  by  their  feet,  thrown  on  the 
ground  and  slaughtered,  just  as  they  used  to  do  in 
camp.  Only  there  they  killed  them  one  at  a  time ; 
here,  in  the  city,  they  slaughtered  them  by  scores. 

Many  dogs  were  congregated  at  this  slaughter- 
ing place.  But  what  strange  beasts  they  were  ! 
Not  one  of  them  barked  at  me.  I  thought  that 
they  must  be  dumb  ^  and  remembered  that  I  had 
once  heard  someone  say,  when  a  dog  would  not 
move  :  "  He  is  like  the  dogs  of  the  slaughtering 
place,  wishing  for  hunger  and  rest." 

Like  them,  that  day,  I  ate  till  I  could  neither 
move  nor  bark.  But  all  the  time  I  felt  disgusted 
at  the  myriads  of  flies  and  worms,  the  smell  of 
blood,  the  vultures,  and  above  all  at  my  lazy 
dumb  companions  with  their  rough  wild  fur. 
Once  more  I  yearned  for  the  old  life  :  my  play- 
mates the  children,  the  desert,  the  pure  open  air, 

1  Cf.  Isaiah  Ivi.  10. 


-Si 


IN    THE    FIELDS  169 

and  the  clear  moonlit  nights  when  we  used  to  bay 
at  the  great  light,  thinking  that  someone  was 
approaching  with  a  lantern.  And  I  began  to 
ponder  over  the  problem  of  how  to  leave  the  city 
behind  me. 

VI 

Once  more  I  foUowed  the  rams  to  the  slaughter- 
ing place  and  once  more  I  passed  a  day  with  the 
dumb  dogs,  licking  blood.  ^  But  not  many  animals 
were  killed  that  day  ;  those  that  were  spared 
were  driven  out  of  the  city  to  the  fields.  I  seized 
my  opportunity  and  followed  the  man  who  was 
behind  them, — a  man  with  bare  legs  and  certainly 
not  of  the  city.  He  had  looked  at  me,  as  I  thought, 
compassionately,  and  had  thrown  me  bread. 
Once  he  had  actually  called  out,  "  Ta  Vta'o  ! 
Kss-kss  !  " 

What  else  could  I  do  but  run  up  to  him  and 
follow  at  his  heels,  almost  hidden  by  the  dust 
raised  by  the  flock  of  rams  ? 

Oh  !  the  joy  at  having  once  more  found  some 
one  to  care  for  me  ! 

The  rams  were  put  up  in  a  village  and  through- 
out the  night  I  ran  about  the  court,  barking.  In 
the  daytime  I  followed  to  the  pastures.  From 
time  to  time  the  shepherd  fed  me,  for  I  soon 
became  indispensable.  I  searched  the  rocks 
which  the  flocks  passed  for  hiding  jackals  or  men 
who  might  be  lying  in  wait  to  steal  the  goats 

1  Cf.  I.  Kings  xxii.  38. 


170  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

or  lambs.  I  brought  them  together  when  they 
strayed  too  far  from  their  master.  I  guarded  them 
against  the  danger  of  the  night.  The  people 
of  the  house,  who  called  me  Ghareeb,  because,  to 
them,  I  was  a  Stranger,  said  that  I  was  worth  a 
man, — and  even  more  than  some  men. 

Life  in  my  new  home  was  infinitely  more  pleas- 
ant than  that  in  the  city.  Yet  I  saw  little  of  the 
other  dogs  about  the  village,  each  being  attached 
to  his  own  house.  Sometimes,  however,  I  met 
my  next  door  neighbour  on  the  refuse-heaps  near 
the  ovens  and  played  with  him.  ^  Yes,  once  more 
I  wrestled  and  romped  in  the  open.  But  more 
than  this, — we  received  gifts  of  lumps  of  bread, 
or  dough  which  had  fallen  into  the  ashes,  and, 
when  the  men  were  absent,  were  even  admitted 
to  the  houses  by  the  women  and  fed  by  their 
hands.  On  rainy  days  we  entered  the  warm  oven 
building,  which  is  always  a  part  of  the  house,  and 
went  to  sleep  in  the  warm  ashes  until  dawn. 
When  the  noise  of  the  mills  ceased  and  the 
women  came  to  bake  the  bread  we  crawled  out, 
because  we  did  not  care  to  be  driven  forth,  and  on 
hearing  the  footsteps  of  men  or  boys  we  scampered 
away  for  our  lives.  The  men  often  kneel  down  to 
pray  on  the  roof  or  elsewhere,  and  on  these  occa- 
sions are  particularly  angry  with  us.  I  have  heard 
them  say  that  we  must  not  on  any  account  be 

1  The  Arabs  say,  when  speaking  of  this  or  that  one's  conduct : 
"  He  is  as  funny  as  a  dog  playing  on  a  dunghill." 


CATS    HONOURED  171 

allowed  to  approach  them ;  and  even  when, 
perchance,  we  have  taken  a  bath,  they  shun  us 
the  more,  saying  that  the  water  dripping  from  our 
coats  soils  their  praying  ground  and  that  for 
"  forty  yards  about  a  dog  it  is  unclean."  Little 
wonder  that  we  are  fonder  of  women  than  of  men  ! 
These  sons  of  Adam  are  indeed  curious  folk. 
They  are  fond  of  cats,  who  steal  their  food  and  are 
never  chased  as  we  are.  They  permit  them  to  lie 
on  the  skirts  of  women  and  children,  and,  worse 
still,  they  regard  them  as  holy.  Cats  catch  rats 
and  mice  and  serpents  and  lizards,  which  we 
disdain, — and  yet  they  call  them  holy !  But 
we  are  unclean  and  filthy  beasts.  They  even 
believe  that  a  cat  will  be  avenged,  saying  :  "  For 
killing  a  cat  there  is  no  pardon."  They  tell 
stories  about  Soandso,  who  became  blind  for  hav- 
ing killed  a  cat, — about  another  whose  leg  was 
broken  for  having  ill-treated  a  cat.  Never,  never 
do  they  speak  of  the  evil  which  follows  on  the  ill- 
treatment  of  a  dog.  And  though  they  know  and 
repeat  :  '*  The  cat  has  got  into  the  habit  of  eating 
chickens,"  all  they  do  when  it  is  at  fault  is  to 
shout  :  "  Out !  cat  .  .  .  Barra  !  Biss  !  "  .  .  . 
Ah  !  yes,  cats  have  indeed  a  good  time  compared 
to  us.  They  sleep  indoors  on  the  mats  and  on  the 
bedding  ;  they  sit  by  the  warm  fire  ;  they  eat 
with  their  masters  and  mistresses ;  they  are 
caressed  by  them  and  their  fur  is  declared  to  be 
as  soft  as  silk. 


172  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Have  you  ever  noticed,  too,  among  the  Arabs 
that  when  anyone  has  shown  courage  he  is  com- 
pared to  the  noble  Hon, — an  animal  which  they 
know  only  by  name  ?  Yet  they  maintain  that 
"  a  lion  remains  a  lion,  though  he  be  brought  up 
with  dogs,  but  a  dog  remains  a  dog,  though  he  be 
warmed  on  a  golden  stove."  Certainly  we  are 
dogs  and  can  never  be  anything  else. 

Another  injustice  :  when  a  man  is  not  quite 
fair  in  his  dealings,  the  dog  is  taken  as  a  com- 
parison. "  A  dog's  tail,"  they  say,  "  can  never 
be  straight,  though  you  put  it  under  a  hundred 
presses."  What  has  our  curved  tail  to  do  with 
men's  vices  ?  I  believe  that  if  our  tails  were  as 
straight  and  as  stiff  as  a  ruler  they  would  still 
find  fault  with  it. 

One  day  people  of  another  race  and  speech^ 
passed  through  our  village.  They  had  dogs  with 
collars  on, — another  unknown  thing  with  us. 
And  when  we  village  dogs  ran  to  chase  them,  they 
hid  behind  their  masters,  who  even  touched  and 
caressed  them.  I  wonder  how  they  liked  this  ? 
When  men  or  women  stretch  out  their  hands  to 
us  it  is  generally  with  no  good  intention,  and  we 
jump  aside  as  quickly  as  possible.  Only  the  grey- 
hounds in  my  old  camp  were  touched  and  fed  by 
the  hand  of  man.  They  were  given  just  the 
right  quantity  of  food,  to  hinder  them  from  feeding 

*  Europeans. 


^'NO    VIRTUE    IN    FASTING"         173 

on  carrion ;  and  their  feet  were  anointed  with 
oil  before  starting  on  a  hunting  expedition,  so 
that  their  paws,  when  pursuing  the  swift-footed 
gazeUes,  would  not  stick  in  the  mud. 

However,  notwithstanding  all  my  complaints, 
I  have  been  better  off  in  the  village  than  in  the 
city,  and  though  I  have  had  less  to  eat  than  in 
my  first  home,  I  have  spent  many  happy  years 
here.  Sometimes  the  people  eat  nothing  all 
day,  but  there  is  generally  plenty  for  all  by  night 
time.  Of  course,  dogs  are  now  chosen  as  a  proof 
that  there  is  no  virtue  for  fasting  in  Ramadan,  as 
shown  by  the  saying :  **  If  hungering  led  to 
Paradise,  the  dogs  would  enter  first."  However 
that  may  be,  the  other  day  I  found  a  bone,  and  as 
a  neighbour's  dog  came  to  snatch  it  away,  I  jumped 
at  his  throat  and  growled  in  Arabic  :  "  Hathi 
'adem  ti-i-i-i-i !  "  ^ 

Menacingly,  he  demanded  :  "  Bakam  sharate 
ha-a-a-a-a  !  "  ^ 

Whereupon,  showing  my  teeth,  I  barked : 
"Balf!     Balf!"3 

Then  he  ran  off,  leaving  me  in  peace. 

VII 

1  am  old  now.  I  can  hardly  see  ;  I  can  hardly 
hear.     Like  many  of  my  fellow  dogs,  my  barking 

^  "  This  is  my  bo-o-o-o-ne  !  " 

2  "  What  did  you  pay  fo-o-o-o-r  it  ?  " 
'  "  A  thousand  !  A  thousand  !  " 

13— (2131) 


174  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

has  lost  its  force.  Soon  I  shall  die  and  be  thrown 
over  the  rocks  to  decay.  Nobody  feeds  on  dead 
dogs  ;  neither  vultures,  nor  ravens,  nor  jackals, 
nor  those  of  my  own  kind.  Worms  alone  nourish 
themselves  on  our  meat  and  skin.  That  is  the 
reason,  perhaps,  why  we  are  often  spoken  of  as 
"  a  dead  dog,  good  for  nothing."  ^ 

^  I.  Samuel  xxiv.  14.     II.  Samuel  ix.  8  ;  xvi.  9. 


X 

CREATURES   IN   COUNCIL 

I 

When  Allah  created  the  animals,  He  gathered 
them  all  into  one  place,  and  an  angel  of  the 
Azizis,  seated  next  to  his  throne,  was  commanded 
to  assign  particular  regions  to  them,  with  meat 
specially  adapted  to  their  requirements.  This 
arrangement  suited  all  the  beasts  of  the  field  and 
the  birds  of  the  air  very  well  indeed,  with  the 
single  exception  of  the  serpent,  who  put  in  a  claim 
to  Adam  that  he  had  a  right  to  feed  on  human 
flesh  and  blood.  Adam  replied  that  he  must 
have  a  year  in  which  to  reflect,  and  promised  that 
at  the  end  of  this  time  he  would  give  his  answer 
at  a  great  congress  to  which  all  animals  should  be 
invited. 

Whether  this  interview  took  place  before  or 
after  Adam's  expulsion  from  Paradise  is  unknown, 
so  far  back  does  it  date  in  the  history  of  the  world. 
But  very  probably  it  must  be  placed  after  the 
Fall,  when  Adam's  wisdom  was  on  the  decline. 
Otherwise,  would  he  have  been  so  foohsh  as  to 
commission  the  mosquito  to  test  the  blood  of  all 
living  creatures  and  report  thereon  ?  Naturally, 
that  wicked  insect  found  that  human  blood  was 

175 


176  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

best.  However,  Adam  had  a  friend  in  the 
swallow.  Whilst  the  mosquito  was  on  its  way  to 
the  congress,  the  faithful  bird,  which,  through 
its  annual  visits  to  the  Kaaba,  knew  man's 
religious  feelings  and  sympathised  with  him, 
discreetly  followed  and,  ere  the  insect  reached  its 
destination,  pounced  down  upon  it  and  nipped  off 
so  large  a  part  of  its  tongue  that  its  voice  became 
a  sharp  and  vicious  buzz.  As  the  mosquito  was 
unable  to  express  itself  in  a  comprehensive 
manner,  the  swallow  offered  its  services  as  inter- 
preter, and  declared  that  the  report  was  *'  Frogs." 
And  that  is  the  reason  why,  to  this  day,  serpents 
feed  on  those  amphibians. 

Such  was  the  principal  question  decided  at  the 
first  animals'  congress  in  Palestine.  It  was  a 
long  time  before  a  second  one  was  held — not, 
indeed,  until  just  before  the  Deluge,  when  Noah 
was  confronted  with  the  problem  of  the  preserva- 
tion of  species.  Century  after  century  passed 
without  there  being  any  necessity  for  a  fresh 
re-union.  But  at  last  the  day  came  when  the 
third  congress  had  to  be  called,  this  time  by  the 
creatures  themselves,  for  they  wished  to  discuss 
the  wrongs  which  had  arisen  through  man's 
ignorance  of  animal  welfare,  besides  certain  other 
private  questions.  The  organisers  unanimously 
agreed  that  for  once  man  must  be  excluded  from 
their  councils. 

Abu  Sliman,  the  fox,  who  had  gathered  more 


AT    MEROM  177 

documents  together  than  anyone  else,  and  who 
knew  the  country  better  than  even  man  himself, 
thought  that  the  best  place  for  the  meeting  would 
be  the  shrubby  marches  of  El  'Huleh,  in  the 
extreme  north  of  Palestine,  where  all  the  delegates 
would  be  able  to  find  good  shelter  and  plenty  of 
appropriate  food.  Adam's  sons  seldom  ventured 
into  the  thicket  for  any  length  of  time,  and  when 
they  did  they  always  retired  at  night  time.  All 
that  the  delegates  would  have  to  be  careful  of 
doing  was  to  keep  quiet  during  the  day  ;  then 
their  presence  would  not  even  be  suspected. 
El  'Huleh,  therefore,  was  chosen,  and  Tell-el-Kadi, 
the  seat  of  the  Judge,  and  the  place  where  Dan 
had  lived  of  old  was  selected  as  the  exact  spot 
for  the  important  gathering. 

Abu  Sliman,  in  the  course  of  his  speech  to  his 
collaborators,  went  on  to  say  that  there  was  no 
need  to  waste  time  over  discussing  the  question 
of  a  chairman.  Abu  Tasba',  the  lion,  had  long 
been  acknowledged  to  be  King  of  the  Beasts,  and 
though  he  did  not  live  in  Palestine  he  could  no 
doubt  be  found  without  much  difficulty  on  the 
frontiers  of  Arabia.  Let  their  swiftest  messenger, 
Abu  Tansar,  the  white-headed  vulture,  be  sent 
to  offer  him  the  presidency  of  the  Council. 

So  the  King  of  the  Birds  ^  flew  away  in  a  straight 
line  across  the  desert  to  the  jungle  of  the  Euphrates. 
Cautiously  soaring  in  big  circles  above  the  banks 

^  As  acknowledged  by  Solomon   (Palestine  Folk-lore). 


178  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

of  the  river,  he  searched  and  searched  until  at 
last  he  found  the  lair  of  Abu  Tasba^  Swooping  to 
earth,  he  delivered  the  invitation.  Abu  Tasba' 
did  not  take  long  to  decide  ;  so  great  a  recognition 
of  his  strength  could  not  meet  with  a  cold  refusal ; 
he  accepted  with  a  roar  of  delight  and  announced 
his  intention  of  starting  for  El  ^Huleh  imme- 
diately. Only,  Abu  Tansar  must  lend  him  his 
aid  as  an  aerial  scout,  and  enable  him  to  avoid 
camps  and  inhabited  places,  if  he  were  to  reach 
his  destination  quickly  and  safely. 

Meanwhile,  Snoonoo,  the  swift,  sped  from 
village  to  village  and  from  mountain  to  mountain, 
inviting  delegates  from  all  the  domestic  animals 
to  the  congress,  during  the  sittings  of  which  it 
was  thoroughly  understood  no  one  should  be 
molested.  Food  in  abundance  was  held  forth 
as  an  inducement  to  all  to  come.  The  marshes  of 
El  'Huleh — an  ideal  oasis — were  not  only  full  of 
juicy  plants  for  the  vegetarians,  there  were  large 
herds  for  the  carnivorous  animals,  fish  for  the 
king-fishers  and  divers,  myriads  of  insects  for  the 
birds,  and  a  multitude  of  minor  animals  for  the 
reptiles. 

II 

It  was  a  clear  moonlight  evening  when  the 
congress  met — the  most  favourable  time  that 
could  have  been  chosen,  as  some  of  the  delegates 
would  have  been  quite  at  a  loss  on  a  dark  night, 
and  daylight  would  have  been  equally  troublesome 


Q 


ANIMAL    KINGS  179 

to  others.  The  Ghawarneh  Bedawin  having 
retired  for  the  night  with  their  cattle,  the  members 
— previously  advised  by  the  soft-footed  mouse, 
the  silently  flitting  bat  and  other  envoys,  to  make 
as  little  noise  as  possible — quietly  dropped  in  one 
by  one. 

Leaning  against  the  bole  of  a  gigantic  oak,  the 
King  of  Trees,  sat  Abu  Tasba',  the  King  of  Beasts, 
with  Abu  Tansar,  the  King  of  Birds,  and  all  his 
court  perched  in  the  majestic  branches — an 
arrangement  said  to  be  due  to  Abu  Sliman.  Abu 
Dib,  the  brown  bear  of  Lebanon,  rolled  in  with 
an  apology.  He  explained  that,  being  a  citizen 
of  Djebel-esh-Sheikh,  the  cold  region  assigned  to 
him  by  the  Azizis,  he  came  as  an  outsider,  but  he 
would  retire  as  soon  as  possible,  as  he  could  not 
easily  support  the  heat,  of  El  Ghor.  Abu  Tanmar 
the  slender  leopard,  glided  in  so  noiselessly  that 
no  one  would  have  noticed  him  had  it  not  been 
for  his  spots.  Abu  Madba',  the  lean,  striped 
hyaena,  came  heavily  into  view,  gave  a  hungry 
malicious  look  at  the  domestic  animals  and, 
feigning  friendship,  went  to  lie  down  near  a  fine 
ass.  Abu  Ser'han,  the  solitary  wolf,  slinked  in  at 
dusk,  looking  quite  innocent  and  feeling  contented 
with  all  the  world,  for  he  had  just  fed  on  a  lamb 
outside  the  truce  boundaries.  Abu  [Sheeby,  the 
yellow  cheetah,  silently  followed  in  his  footsteps. 
Pricking  up  his  hairy  ears,  Abu  Fahed,  the  round- 
headed  lynx,   silently  took  his  place,   amidst    a 


180  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

murmur  of  admiration  and  sundry  remarks  regard- 
ing his  resemblance  to  a  cat,  near  the  grandees  of 
the  quadrupeds.  Next  came  Abu-1-E'hseine,  the 
jackal,  with  a  very  indifferent  call,  for  he  was 
replete  through  feeding  on  the  carcass  of  a  buffalo. 
In  his  rear  walked  the  lesser  friends  :  wild  cats, 
martens,  ichneumons  and  porcupines  with  clatter- 
ing quills,  closely  followed  by  hedgehogs,  moles, 
rats  and,  last  of  all,  Abu  Ghirreh,  the  circular 
badger,  resembling,  as  it  crawled  forward  on  its 
low  legs,  a  moving  cushion.  Abu  Sliman,  the 
acting  secretary,  introduced  the  domestic  animals. 
There  were  strong  camels  of  the  'Hauran  and  the 
mountains  of  Ephraim,  lean  ones,  too,  from  the 
south  of  the  Dead  Sea  ;  a  slender-footed  Hajeen 
(dromedary),  which  carried  the  mail  through  the 
sandy  wastes  of  Palestine  ;  the  fiery  horses  of  the 
Bedawin,  and  a  heavy  Kedeesh,  an  animal  for 
rough  work  at  the  mill  or  on  the  road  ;  mules  and 
donkeys  ;  cows,  oxen  and  buffaloes  ;  sheep  and 
goats.  After  these  had  taken  their  places  there 
came  gazelles  and  hares  from  the  plains,  conies 
and  ibexes  from  the  cliffs  of  Moab,  and  wild  boars 
from  the  marshes.  Great  fruit-eating  bats  and 
other  smaller  insect-feeders  flitted  about  in  the 
moonlight.  Most  of  the  feathered  friends  had,  as 
I  have  already  said,  gathered  hours  before  around 
Abu  Tansar,  as  with  few  exceptions,  they  were 
day  birds.  Thus,  perched  on  the  strong  branches 
next  to  the  great  vulture,  were  eagles,  buzzards. 


PALESTINE'S    ANIMAL    KINGDOM      181 

harriers,  hawks,  kites,  falcons  and  owls.  Croaking 
ravens  and  crows  sat  on  smaller  branches,  and  so 
forth,  until,  on  the  topmost  boughs  of  the  oak  tree, 
little  robins  and  titmice  fluttered  and  chirped. 
Other  trees,  too,  were  occupied  by  delegates. 
On  a  stately  palm  was  entwined  a  fine  specimen, 
with  blood-red  neck  and  brownish  body,  of  the 
Esculap,  the  representative  of  numerous  harmless 
serpents  ;  whilst  near  by  was  a  huge  Daboia  viper, 
representing  six  venomous  species.  Nor  must 
I  omit  to  mention  the  Sheikh  of  the  Haradin 
and  the  Sheikh  of  the  Chameleons,  accompanied 
by  a  green  lizard  and  a  house  gecko,  who  were 
perched  on  the  walls  of  an  adjoining  ruin.  Absen- 
tees among  the  550  specimens  of  the  animal 
kingdom  of  Palestine  were  very  few  indeed.  The 
only  really  important  delegate  who  could  not 
come — and  he  sent  a  warran  to  present  his  excuses 
— was  the  crocodile,  who  said  he  did  not  dare, 
for  numerous  reasons,  to  leave  the  swamps  of  the 
Zerka  in  Sharon. 

At  last  the  voice  of  Abu  Tasba'  was  heard, 
whereupon  all  chattering,  chirping  and  fluttering 
ceased. 

"  Are  all  the  domestic  animals  here  ? "  he 
roared.  "  For  their  presence  at  this  particular 
congress  is  of  great  importance.  I  dare  say  that 
some  of  the  poor  slaves  of  mankind  have  been 
unable  to  leave  their  stables  and  enclosures. 
However,  I  am  glad  to  see  that  we  are  honoured 


182  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

by  the  presence  of  Abu  Te'hsen,  the  horse,  Abu 
Baghel,  the  mule,  Abu  Ehmar,  the  donkey, 
Abu  Thor,  the  ox,  and  Abu  Jameel,  the  camel. 
We  are  pleased,  too,  to  welcome  Abu  Klabe,  the 
dog,  and  Bisabis,  the  cat — late  though  they  be  !  " 

Abu  Klabe  and  Bisabis  issued  into  the  moon- 
light just  at  that  very  moment.  They  had  been 
quarrelling  on  their  way  as  to  which  of  the  two 
was  the  most  useful  animal  to  man. 

"  Come  now,  let  us  get  to  business,"  continued 
Abu  Tasba'.  "  Abu  Sliman,  will  you  read  the  first 
item  on  the  programme  ?  " 

"  Dispute  between  Abu  Madba',  the  hysena, 
and  Baghel,  the  old  mule,"  read  Abu  Sliman 
in  his  most  important  manner.  "In  a  certain  big 
field,  fuU  of  long  grass  and  very  useful  for  hiding 
in  and  searching  for  food,  Baghel  was  appro- 
priating everything  to  his  own  use.  Now,  the 
field  belongs  to  everyone.  So  a  delegation, 
composed  of  Abu  Tanmar,  Abu  Ser'han,  Abu 
Fahed,  Abu-1-Ehseine  and  your  humble  servant, 
was  sent  to  find  out  by  whose  permission  Baghel 
ate  most  of  the  grass  and  spoilt  the  appearance 
of  the  remainder.  Baghel  insolently  replied  that 
he  acted  perfectly  within  his  rights,  and  that, 
when  and  where  we  liked,  he  could  show  us  the 
firman  he  had  received  from  his  superior." 

"  Very  good  !  "  exclaimed  Abu  Tasba'.  "  We 
must  settle  this  matter  without  delay.  What 
have  you  got  to  say  in  your  defence,  Abu  Baghel  ? " 


A    CONVINCING    FIRMAN  183 

**  Exactly  what  I  told  the  delegation,"  replied 
the  old  mule,  confidently.  "  It  is  quite  true 
that  I  possess  a  written  firman  given  me  by  the 
Dispenser  of  all  Good  Things,  the  Owner  of  the 
Universe,  and  written  in  very  fine  and  subtle 
letters.  If  it  is  correct,  as  Abu  Madba*  states, 
that  he  is  a  scholar  and  can  read,  let  him  come 
near  to  me,  and,  in  the  presence  of  the  assembly, 
prove  his  ability.  I  will  say  no  more,  save  that 
Abu  Madba'  is  an  old  sorcerer  who,  being  unable 
to  eat  grass  himself,  is  full  of  jealousy  and  wishes 
to  see  me  condemned  to  death." 

"A  very  straightforward  reply,"  said  the  Chair- 
man. "  Very  well,  show  him  the  firman  and  let 
us  get  to  more  serious  business." 

"  As  I  have  no  pockets  in  which  to  keep  the 
document,"  explained  Abu  Baghel,  as  the  hysena 
approached,  "  I  have  hidden  it  under  one  of  my 
hind  hoofs." 

And  with  these  words  he  lifted  up  one  of  his 
hoofs. 

"  I  cannot  see  anything,"  said  Abu  Madba'. 

"  Didn't  I  tell  you,"  replied  the  old  mule, 
"  that  the  firman  is  written  in  very  fine  characters  ? 
How  can  you  expect  to  see  it  at  that  distance, 
and  in  such  a  poor  light  too  ?  Draw  near  and  then 
you'll  be  convinced." 

The  hyaena  came  nearer. 

"  Whew  !  "  exclaimed  Baghel,  aiming  well  and 
kicking  with  all  his  might  when  he  considered  his 


184  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

adversary  was  close  enough.  "  If  that  doesn't 
convince  you  nothing  will !  " 

The  blow  alighted  on  Abu  Madba^'s  nose,  and 
sent  him  rolling,  senseless,  a  dozen  yards  away. 

Whereupon  there  arose  such  a  yelHng  and  a 
shrieking,  such  a  bellowing  and  a  croaking,  such 
a  grunting  and  a  snorting,  such  a  neighing  and  a 
braying,  such  a  hissing  and  a  whizzing  as  had 
never  been  heard  before  at  one  spot.  It  seemed 
as  though  the  very  trees  and  bushes  had  joined 
in  the  laughter  at  the  most  striking  proof  of  the 
accuracy  of  a  firman  ever  given. 

Abu  Sliman  was  the  only  one  who  kept  his  head. 
Conscious  of  the  importance  of  his  position  as 
chief  organiser  of  the  congress,  and  its  secretary, 
he  did  his  best  to  call  the  delegates  to  order.  But 
it  was  some  minutes  before  he  could  make  himself 
heard. 

"  Yawlat,  yawlat ! — Children,  children  !  "  he 
at  last  succeeded  in  saying.  "  I  beg  of  you  to  be 
prudent.  Man  may  be  about  and  spoil  all  our 
plans.  ...  I  think  we  may  unanimously  decide 
that  Abu  Baghel  has  fully  made  out  his  case. 
So  we  will  pass  to  the  next  question.  I  have  a 
very  important  document,  signed  by  a  well-known 
delegate,  to  read  to  you  and  would  beg  you  to  give 
me  your  most  earnest  attention." 

But  it  was  some  time  before  the  hilarity  wholly 
subsided  and  there  was  complete  silence.  At 
last  he  began  to  read,  as  follows: — 


ANIMAL    PLACE    NAMES  185 

"  Sons  of  Adam  sneer  at  us,  chase  us  and  call 
us  names.  Sometimes  they  are  right  but  very, 
very  often  they  are  wrong  in  their  appreciations. 
Besides,  they  are  often  guilty  of  ill-treating  our 
friends,  the  domestic  animals,  who  so  rarely  revolt 
against  them.  Who  has  not  heard  the  story  of 
*  Lail/ — an  excellent  instance  of  the  ungrateful 
manner  in  which  the  sons  of  Adam  treat  their 
most  faithful  friend  the  dog  ?  But  others  could 
tell  equally  striking  stories  of  cruelty  and  neglect. 
Now,  as  citizens  of  Palestine — citizens  before 
man  was  created  here — we  are  ready  to  protest. 
But  let  everyone  do  it  for  himself.  My  purpose 
at  present  is  to  point  out  how  very  much  men  are 
dependent  upon  us.  They  require  not  only  our 
services  but  very  often  our  names,  to  designate 
their  abodes,  properties,  hills,  springs  and  so  forth. 
Here  are  a  few  instances  in  which  sites  have  been 
named  after  us.     There  are 

three  for  leopards,  as  Nimrin,  etc.  ; 

three   for   hyaenas,  as  Wad-ed  Dab'a,  etc.  ; 

three  for  camels,  as  Beit-ej-Jmal,  etc.  ; 

three  for  boars,  as  Wad-el-Khanzeer,  etc.  ; 

four  for  sparrows,  as  Ain-el-'Asafeer,  etc.  ; 

three  for  bees,  as  Khirbet  Na'hleh,  etc.  ; 

two  for  horses,  as  Nekeb-el-Khale,  etc.  ; 

two  for  ibexes,  as  Ain-Jiddy  and  Wad-el- 
Bedoon  ; 

two  for  vultures,  as  *Ebr-en-Nisr,  etc. ; 

two  for  serpents,  as  Ain-el-Hayeh,  etc.  ; 


186  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

two  for  flies,  as  Dair-Dubban,  etc.  ; 

one  for  the  buffalo,  as  Birket-ej-Jamoos ; 

one  for  the  crocodile,  as  Nahr-et-Tamsa'h ; 

two  for  dogs,  as  Nahr-el-Kalb,  etc.  ; 

one  for  the  gazelle,  as  *Ain  Ghazaleh ; 

one  for  the  wolf,  as  Khalet-eth-Theeb  ; 

one  for  the  jackal,  as  J  urn-el- Wawy  ; 

one  for  the  fox,  as  Tell-el-Ehseiny  ; 

one  for  the  badger,  as  Abu-1-Ghrair  ; 

one  for  the  donkey,  as  Beni  Ehmar  ; 

one  for  the  coney,  as  Khirbet  el-Wabar  ; 

one  for  the  partridge,  as  'Ain-esh-Shananeer  ; 
and 

one  for  the  fleas,  as  Nahr  Barghut. 
There  is  also  Khirbet-el- Assad,  the  Lion's  Ruin. 
But  there  is  a  difference  between  this  and  the 
names  I  have  cited.  These  names  all  point  to 
ancient  sites  which  once  existed  in  the  vicinity 
of  their  modern  representatives,  whereas  the 
name  of  the  lion  is  generally  used  as  a  mere  badge. 
Humans  employed  the  lion's  name  as  an  emblem 
of  strength  ;  and  his  image — graven  images  being 
forbidden — is  the  only  one  they  will  permit. 
Thus,  we  have  Uons'  images  at  the  Gate  of  El  Kuds, 
on  the  bridge  near  Lydda,  on  old  temples  in  the 
Hauran,  and  elsewhere,  just  as  in  the  days  of 
Solomon,  who  had  them  sculptured  on  his 
throne."! 

Abu  Tasba*  here  interrupted  the  speaker  with 

1  II.  Chronicles  ix.  18-19. 


ANIMAL    FABLES  187 

the  remark  that  this  was  all  heraldry.  But  it 
was  a  fact  that  there  was  no  definite  locality  known 
for  lions. 

Whereupon  Abu  Sliman,  continuing  the  dele- 
gate's dissertation,  read  some  old  passages 
concerning  old  and  young  lions.  ^ 

"  Looks  very  much  hke  the  Euphrates  region," 
remarked  Abu  Tasba'. 

"  Then  a  certain  judge  named  Samson,"  con- 
tinued Abu  Shman,  "  killed  a  Uon  in  Philistia  with 
his  staff  and  took  honey  from  its  body."  ^ 

**  Nonsense  !  "  exclaimed  the  Chairman.  **  Who 
ever  heard  of  a  Uon  being  killed  with  a  staff,  or  of 
bees  building  in  a  carcass  ?  That  writer  never 
studied  nature." 

"  Once  upon  a  time,  too,  an  Ash  AUheem,^  who 
came  from  Bethel,  was  killed  by  a  lion  and  left 
by  the  roadside  with  his  ass ;  and  both  beasts 
stood  by  the  carcass  contemplating  it  for 
hours."  * 

"  This  is  sheer  lunacy,"  growled  Abu  Tasba'. 
"  The  writer  who  recorded  that  incident  had 
never  seen  a  lion  in  his  Ufe,  otherwise  he  would 
have  known  that  when  we  kill  a  warm-blooded 
being  we  carry  it  away  and  eat  it." 

"  There  is  a  story  of  a  prophet  who  was  cast 
by  a  king' into  a  den  of  hons."  ^ 

"  Ah  !     I  can  vouch  for  that,"  said  the  lion. 

1  Job  iv.    10  ;     xxviii.   8.  ^  Judges  xiv.  8. 

*  Dervish.  *  I.  Kings  xiii.  24.  ^  Daniel  vi.  16. 


188  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

"It  happened  in  my  own  country.  Kings  always 
capture  lions." 

"  Then  there  was  a  young  shepherd,  David, 
in  the  wilderness  of  Judaea,  who  smote  a  lion  and 
a  bear,  and  took  a  lamb  out  of  their  mouths."  ^ 

Here  both  Abu  Tasba*  and  Abu  Dib  roared  and 
growled  so  terribly  that  Abu  Sliman,  thinking  his 
last  moment  had  come,  slipped  away  into  the 
bushes. 

"  How  can  I  help  what  has  been  written  ?  " 
he  cried  piteously.  "  I  am  but  your  most  humble 
servant." 

But  it  took  some  time  for  the  anger  of  the  lion 
and  the  bear  to  subside.  Both  were  on  their  feet 
together,  loudly  protesting  against  the  statements 
of  holy  Scripture.  Presuming  that  they  had  been 
able  to  live  in  the  arid  desert  in  question,  they 
would  each,  they  said,  have  taken  a  lamb  and 
gone  in  opposite  directions  ;  and  the  shepherd 
boy  would  have  had  his  work  cut  out  to  track 
them. 

The  clash  of  their  two  voices  became  so  great 
at  last  that  Abu  Tasba*,  in  a  towering  passion, 
roared  to  the  bear  : 

"  Order  !  Order  !  Abu  Dib  !  Wait  until  it  is 
your  turn  to  speak.  .  .  .  Let  me  say  that  this 
fairy  tale  is  not  worth  discussing.  But  I  should 
like  to  observe  that  lions,  as  a  rule,  do  not  care 
a  scrap  for  man's  opinions  and  behefs.     Nor  do 

1  I.  Samuel  xvii.  24. 


STRANGE    BIBLE    STORIES  189 

they  choose  between  behevers  and  unbeHevers 
when  they  are  hungry — it  is  all  one  to  them 
whether  their  prey  believe  in  the  gods  of  the 
land  or  not."  ^ 

"  Permit  me  to  remark/'  said  Abu  Dib,  timidly, 
when  the  Chairman  had  sat  down,  "  that  perhaps 
the  scribe  did  not  know  the  difference  between 
the  Dib  and  the  Thib.  Our  friend  the  wolf  was 
probably  meant.  Judaea  and  lambs  are  certainly 
better  known  to  him  than  they  are  to  us.  .  .  . 
As  to  the  tearing  to  pieces  of  forty-two  children 
by  two  Im-Debbab  (she-bears)  because  they  made 
fun  of  the  bald  head  of  an  old  Dervish,  ^  I  again 
protest.  Maybe  a  ravenous  wolf  would  kill 
children,  but  never  a  bear.  We  occasionally  carry 
off  a  kid  or  a  calf,  but  never  can  we  take  two. 
Moreover,  I  agree  with  our  powerful  and  respected 
brother  Abu  Tasba*  that  we  do  not  put  forth  our 
strength  especially  for  man's  sake.  May  I  ask 
the  author  of  this  learned  communication  whether 
humans  have  recorded  the  names  of  the  Dib  in 
their  writings  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Abu  Sliman,  who  had  ventured 
back  to  his  place.  "  Neither  in  their  old,  nor  in 
their  new  lists,  do  we  find  them." 

On  hearing  which  Abu  Dib,  with  a  final  growl 
of  indignation,  sat  down. 

Many  of  the  other  delegates  heard  with  satis- 
faction that  their  names  were  known  in  the  Bible. 

1  II.  Kings  xvii.  25.  2  II.  Kings  ii.  23-24. 

14— (2131) 


190  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

There  was  Beth  Nimreh  ^  standing  for  leopards  ; 
Zeboim,  2  as  ancient  as  history,  for  the  hysena, 
who  was  still  busily  rubbing  his  poor  bruised  nose  ; 
Zeeb,  ^  changed  into  the  modern  Thib,  for  Abu 
Serhan's  ancestors;  Engedi/  where  the  ibex 
still  tumbles  over  the  rocks ;  besides  many 
others. 

As  Abu  Shman  had  by  now  come  to  the  end  of 
the  document  he  had  been  asked  to  read  to  the 
congress,  Abu-1-E'hseine,  in  his  turn,  stepped  forth 
and  said  that  but  for  himself  and  the  suffering 
Abu  Madba'  the  sons  of  Adam  would  assuredly 
die  of  pestilence.  Were  they  not  instrumental 
in  clearing  away  the  dead  animals  which  humans 
carelessly  threw  around  their  habitations  ?  Instead 
of  being  thankful  for  this  valuable  work — and  at 
the  word  thankful  Abu  Sliman  sneered,  and 
murmured  cynically,  "  Adam's  sons  do  not  even 
show  thankfulness  to  each  other  " — they  called 
them  false  names,  such  as  Wawy  and  Abu-1- 
Fataiess,  the  Howler  and  Father  of  Carcasses. 

"  Suppose  we  strike  for  a  few  weeks,"  con- 
cluded the  jackal,  amidst  almost  universal  mur- 
murs of  approval,  "  and  see  how  they  would  get 
along  alone." 

And  with  these  words,  as  the  Hght  of  the  moon 
was  failing,  the  first  sitting  of  the  congress  came 
to  an  end. 

1  Numbers  xxxii.  36.  ^  Genesis  x.  19. 

'  Judges  vii.  25.  ■*  Joshua  xv.  62. 


CAMEL    AND    HORSE  191 

III 

On  the  following  evening  it  was  the  domestic 
animals'  turn  to  have  their  say. 

"Abu  Jameel,"  said  the  lion,  addressing  the 
camel,  "  have  you  any  complaint  to  make  against 
Inns?"i 

"  No,"  said  the  camel.  "  It  is  true  that  they 
put  heavy  loads  upon  my  back,  but  I  can  easily 
carry  them.  They  are  rather  solicitous  of  my 
welfare  than  otherwise.  They  feed  me  on  pre- 
pared Kersanne,^  and,  in  Rabee,  anoint  my  skin 
with  oil  and  sulphur  to  cure  the  Jarrab,  ^  which 
I  have  contracted  from  another.  Occasionally 
they  strike  me,  or  pull  my  jaws  with  the  Karrasat,  * 
but  I  take  my  revenge  in  the  spring,  when  the 
Hadr^  makes  me  lively.  Let  any  man  come  too 
near  me  and  I  dart  at  him  so  swiftly  that  he  is 
frightened  out  of  his  wits.  But  we  are  soon  good 
friends  again." 

Nor  had  Abu  Ihsane,  the  bay  horse,  any  com- 
plaints to  make  against  his  Bedawin  masters. 
He  rather  liked  the  Ghazu,  and  even  should  he 
fall  in  battle  it  was  a  more  dignified  death  than 
the  one  awaiting  his  cousin  the  Kedeesh,  who, 
after  having  turned  Byarat^  in  the  gardens,  or 
carried  loads  which  often  wounded  him,  was 
abandoned  to  find  a  living  for  himself — a  very 
difficult  matter  for  one  who  was  not  accustomed 

^  Humans.  2  Vetches.  ^  Itch. 

*  Camel  bridle.  ^  g^d  temper.  ^  Water  wheels. 


192  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

to  do  so  from  youth,  as  wild  animals  are.  His 
fate  is  to  pine  away  and  die  and  be  devoured  by 
dogs,  jackals  and  hyaenas. 

A  general  murmur  against  Inns  followed  this 
communication.     But  Abu  Ihsane  continued  : — 

"  I  am  of  the  Abeyan  race,  my  silky  mane  keeps 
insects  away,  my  well-furnished  tail  helps  to  brush 
flies  from  my  body,  full  of  the  purest  blood, 
flowing  in  protruding  veins."  (At  the  mention 
of  blood  all  the  carnivorous  members  of  the 
congress  lifted  their  noses  and  sniffed  the  air.) 
"  I  hail  from  Nejd  and  Man  says  that  I  am  of 
divine  origin.  The  Angel  Gabriel  first  rode 
'Heisoon,  the  divine  courser.  El  Khadr  gallops 
above  the  firmament  and  produces  thunder  and 
lightning.  My  white  ancestors  were  dedicated 
to  the  sun,  ^  and  though  the  first  Hebrew  invaders 
maimed  horses,  ^  King  Solomon  introduced  a 
great  number,^  and  was  so  much  astonished  at 
their  excellency  that  he  forgot  his  prayers  the 
day  he  saw  them.^  The  Prophet  Mohammed 
chose  the  original  Khamsy^  who  accompanied 
him  on  his  expeditions.  Therefore  these  five, 
Abeyan,  Saklawy,  Julfa,  Khalawy,  and  Marghub, 
are  acknowledged  to  be  the  only  true  breeds  ; 
and  whoever  possesses  the  one  or  the  other  con- 
siders himself  beyond  all  riches.  On  them  the 
Arab  nation  went  from  Mecca  to  Seville  ;  through 

1  II.  Kings  xxiii.  11.         ^  Joshua  xi.  6.  ^  I.  Kings  iv.  26. 

*  Sura  xxxviii.  30.  ^  The   Five. 


THE    ARAB    HORSE  193 

their  agency  empires  have  changed  hands  and 
Islam  has  covered  one-third  of  the  world.  We 
are  well  kept,  as  sacred  as  the  sun  horses,  and  no 
true  Arab  will  allow  us  to  go  into  foreign  lands. 
The  Prophet  knew  the  danger  of  horses  getting 
into  the  hands  of  foreigners,  who  might  become 
conquerors  like  himself.  Our  home  and  temple 
is  all  Arabistan.  Has  anyone  been  honoured  so 
much  by  Inns  as  our  race  has  been  ?  Has  not  the 
Prophet,  in  his  enthusiasm,  cried:  'The  wealth 
of  this  world  is  suspended  from  the  tuft  of  hair 
which  hangs  on  the  forehead  of  your  horses  until 
Judgment  Day  ?  '  And  does  not  the  Bedawin 
lover  sing : — 

"  '  Rukb  el  afrass 
Talook  el  amrass 
U  takerkib  el  akhrass 
Yegla'  id-dood  min  er-Rass.'^ 

Though  stallions  are  presented  to  foreign  princes, 
the  mares  are  kept  at  home.  Let  our  race  remain 
pure  and  only  in  Arabia." 

Mules  and  donkeys  were  quite  content  with 
their  lot,  and  even  cows  and  the  patient  oxen  had 
nothing  to  say.  After  a  day's  ploughing  with  the 
oldest  and  most  primitive  instrument,  they  often 
had  rest  on  rainy  days  and  were  fed  all  the  same. 
And  with  most  Fellahin,  when  thrashing,  the  old 

*  "  Riding  horses, 
Slackening  bridles, 
The  tinkling  of  ear-rings 
Drive  away  care." 


194  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

law  was  observed — not  to  muzzle  them  while 
treading  the  sheaves.  ^ 

The  faithful  dog  said  Lail  had  told  everything.  ^ 
But  he,  personally,  had  nothing  to  grumble 
at. 

At  this  moment  a  little  mouse,  whilst  intently 
listening,  rolled  over  in  front  of  Bisabis. 
"  Allah  !  "  exclaimed  the  cat.  "  Be  careful  or 
you  will  be  hurt  !  "  "  Thanks,"  replied  the  mouse. 
"  Bass  aslam  minak  ! — If  only  you  do  me  no 
harm  !  "  And  with  these  words  it  climbed  into  a 
hole  out  of  reach. 

"  Birds  !  "  shouted  Abu  Tansar,  who  had  now 
become  Chairman,  to  replace  the  tired  lion,  and 
who  best  understood  bird  language  in  the  Palestine 
vernacular.  "  Has  anybody  anything  to  say  ? 
Storks,  swallows,  pelicans,  hoopoes,  turtles  are 
all  in  favour  of  Beni  Adam,  as  they  are  considered 
almost  sacred  by  them,  so  let  them  be  quiet." 

The  grifhn  vulture  was  the  first  to  show  his 
hoary  head  and  said: — 

*'  King  Solomon  in  all  his  wisdom  spoke  to 
birds  and  blessed  our  ancestor  by  laying  hands 
on  his  head,  which  ever  afterwards  remained  white. 
Therefore  we  cannot  speak  ill  of  the  human  race, 
though  they  hunt  us  for  the  sake  of  our  bones  to 
make  Nei'yes.  Fortunately,  they  seldom  come 
within  our  reach,  so  we  have  seldom  need  to 
deplore  a  victim." 

^  Deuteronomy  xxi.  4.  ^  gee  Lail,  pp.  153-174. 


SERPENTS    PERSECUTED  195 

Abu  Ghrab,  the  raven,  declared  they  were 
persecuted.  Inns  called  them  Baine/  so  when- 
ever they  saw  Adam's  sons  they  flew  away 
long  before  they  could  reach  them  even  with  a 
gun. 

The  red-faced  partridge,  which  Inns  call 
Maka'hal,  though  they  never  use  Kohl,  complained 
that  they  were  treacherously  snared  at  watering- 
places,  or  with  the  Bairak  on  the  mountains.  ^ 
"  Not  satisfied  with  having  subjugated  the  fowls, 
these  greedy  sons  of  Adam  seek  the  small 
satisfaction  of  capturing  us  for  a  dinner." 

In  the  name  of  the  Rakta  and  the  Raksha,  the 
Rabda  and  the  'Hamra,  the  Barjeel  and  the 
Za'ara  (the  Daboia),  the  shining  blue-black 
'Hanash — the  Nahash  of  the  Bible  and  the  serpent 
which  Moses  lifted  up  in  the  wilderness — declared 
that  man  had  written  all  kinds  of  absurdities 
regarding  them. 

"  We  are  falsely  accused  of  being  the  cause  of 
Adam's  expulsion  from  Paradise.  We  are  said 
to  have  had  legs  and  are  condemned  to  walk 
without  them.  Every  man  does  his  best  to  kill  us, 
saying,  '  II  'Heiyeh  wul  'Aseiyeh ! — For  the 
serpent  take  the  stick  !  '  Because  one-seventh  of 
all  the  serpents  in  Palestine  are  venomous,  we  are 
all  condemned  to  death.  Naturally  we  fly  for  our 
lives  whenever  man  is  in  the  vicinity.  We  ought 
to  be  bred  rather  than  persecuted,  for  we  feed  on 

^  Unlucky.  ^  x.  Samuel  xxvi.  20. 


196  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

mice,  who  destroy  the  crops,  and  on  rats  who 
break  into  their  barns.    However,  we  do  our  duty 
and  yearn  not  for  their  gratefuhiess." 
*  *  *  * 

When  the  animals  left  El  'Huleh  to  return  to 
their  respective  regions  they  meditated  on  what 
had  been  revealed  at  their  great  congress.  Abu 
Sliman  whispered  into  Abu-1-E^hseine's  ear  that, 
though  many  had  protested,  he  thought  there 
would  be  no  change  in  the  relations  between  man 
and  the  beasts.  Adam's  sons  would  continue  to  be 
kind  or  brutal  as  the  case  might  be.  "  We  shall 
have  to  take  our  chance,"  he  declared,  "and find 
a  living  as  best  we  can  in  this  Immovable  East.  " 


XI 

THE    LADY    OF    HER    BRETHREN 

As  I  sat  at  the  door  of  a  little  coffee-house  in  the 
main  street  of  Lydda,  sipping  my  Moka  and 
drawing  at  the  sweet-scented  tombak  through  a 
bubbling  narghile,  Sit-Ikhwitha,  with  that  haughty 
bearing  which  I  knew  so  well,  came  along  upon  her 
horse.  It  was  years  since  I  had  seen  the  "  Lady 
of  her  Brethren,"  but  I  recognised  her  at  once  and 
saw  that  she  still  retained  her  old  authority.  The 
clatter  of  her  horse's  hoofs  on  the  loose  stones  and 
the  musical  tinkling  of  the  gold  coins  on  her  Burka,  ^ 
or  half-veil,  was  the  signal  for  the  hushing  of 
conversation  among  the  groups  of  squatting  coffee- 
drinkers.  Deferential  looks  met  her  imperious 
gaze.  Salutations  denoting  profound  respect 
(some  would  have  called  it  fear)  greeted  her  to 
right  and  left,  making  her  slow  and  stately  ride 
through  the  town,  which  was  built  by  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin,  a  veritable  triumphal  march. 

But,  though  I  knew  Sit-Ikhwitha  and  her 
history  weU,  the  '*  Lady  of  her  Brethren  "  passed 
me    by  unnoticed.     Years  of   absence  from  the 

1  Possibly  the  veil  which  was  given  to  Sarah  on  the  borders  of 
Egypt  because,  as  a  northerner,  she  had  none.  Abimelech 
said  unto  Sarah  :  "  Behold  I  have  given  thy  brother  a  thousand 
pieces  of  silver  :  behold,  he  is  to  thee  a  covering  of  the  eyes,  unto 
all  that  are  with  thee,  and  with  all  other  :  thus  she  was  reproved." 
— Genesis  xx.  16. 

197 


198  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

little  Christian  and  Moslem  town  had  turned  me 
into  a  stranger,  unworthy  even  of  a  passing 
glance.  Apart  from  looking  a  little  older  than 
when  I  had  last  seen  her,  Sit-Ikhwitha  alone  had 
remained  unchanged. 

"  The  Lady  of  her  Brethren "  was  a  very 
dark-complexioned  Egyptian,  with  thick  lips, 
strong  jaws  and  a  set  of  teeth  (in  spite  of  her  fairly 
advanced  age)  as  white  as  the  snows  of  Hermon. 
Though  certainly  not  what  you  would  call  a  pretty 
woman,  she  was  far  from  being  an  ugly  one.  Hers 
was  the  beauty  of  perfect  health  and  superb 
physical  strength  rather  than  that  of  form  and 
expression.  She  was  over  five  feet  and  a  half  in 
height,  and  she  sat  astride  her  Arab  thoroughbred 
like  a  man,  and  with  all  a  man's  assurance.  Indeed 
at  a  distance,  you  might  easily  have  mistaken  her 
for  one,  had  it  not  been  for  her  characteristic 
Egyptian  dress.  The  lower  part  of  her  face 
was  hidden  by  her  Burka,  lined  with  heavy  gold 
coins  in  order  to  hold  the  veil  down.  Her  shirt 
(the  only  piece  of  clothing  she  wore  at  home, 
besides  the  black  silken  head- veil  which  she  threw 
over  her  head  and  shoulders)  was  dark  blue,  and 
over  this  she  had  a  black  and  white  silk  girdle,  a 
brown  and  white  striped  silk  caftan,  or  long  robe 
open  in  front  from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  and, 
finally  on  the  top  of  these  various  articles  of  cloth- 
ing, a  black  mantle,  which,  when  astride  the 
broad  saddle  of  her  horse,  she  threw  over  her 


SIT-IKHWITHA  199 

knees.  Broad  silver  bracelets  ornamented  her 
arms,  which  were  bare,  as  the  broad  sleeves  of 
her  cloak  only  covered  them  when  they  were 
hanging  down  ;  and  a  pair  of  yellow  sheep-skin 
boots  completed  her  out-door  costume. 

Yes,  the  "  Lady  of  her  Brethren "  was  un- 
doubtedly unchanged,  both  in  dress  and  in  manner. 
I  could  still  see  her,  as  of  old,  speaking  in  a  loud 
voice  and  gesticulating,  so  that  the  coins  on  her 
Burka,  striking  each  other,  kept  up  a  continual 
tinkle.  And  though,  as  a  rule,  she  observed  the 
Moslem  custom  of  keeping  her  face  covered,  I 
could  still  imagine  her,  in  the  fire  of  conversation 
among  men,  throwing  back  her  veil  and,  with  a 
commanding  expression  on  her  energetic  face  and 
a  blow  with  her  fist  on  her  knee,  exclaiming  : 
"  Wallah !  Awarikum  ya  kohm  el  hamleen ! 
— By  God  !    I  will  show  you,  band  of  cowards  !  " 

The  story  of  this  remarkable  woman  is  inti- 
mately connected  with  the  Egyptian  conquest  of 
Palestine,  and  in  relating  it  we  must  go  back  to 
the  days  of  Mehemet  Ali.  This  distinguished  man, 
an  Albanian  by  birth,  was  an  officer  in  the  Turkish 
army  at  the  time  that  it  was  opposing  Bonaparte's 
Egyptian  campaign.  Three  years  after  the  French 
were  expelled  from  Egypt  he  made  his  mark  and 
was  placed  at  the  head  of  an  army  corps.  Fol- 
lowing with  interest  the  progress  of  Napoleon  I, 
he  may  be  said  to  have  modelled  his  career  on 


200  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

that  of  the  great  Corsican.  He  rose  to  the  rank  of 
Pasha  of  Cairo,  and,  as  all  who  read  history  know, 
rid  the  Pashas  of  the  domination  of  the  Mama- 
lukes.  ^  Having  become  sole  master  of  Egypt, 
Mehemet  All's  ambition  grew  and,  supported  by 
several  old  Bonapartist  officers,  he  marched  his 
army  against  his  legitimate  sovereign,  the  Sultan 
of  Turkey.  The  Egyptians,  under  the  command 
of  his  adopted  son  Ibrahim  Pasha,  crossed  the 
Syrian  frontier  in  1831.  The  frightened  Fel- 
lahin,  led  by  their  great  Sheikhs  Muhammad  el- 
Misleh,  Ethman  el-Laham,  Mustapha  Abu -Ghosh 
and  others,  resisted.  But  what  could  their  undis- 
ciplined bands  do  against  a  well-trained  modern 
army  ?  When  Ibrahim  Pasha,  whose  name  in 
Palestine  has  remained  synonymous  to  "  hero," 
"  great  man,"  and  so  forth,  had  conquered  the 
country  and  taken  the  fortress  of  Acca  (St. 
Jean  d'Acre),  which  had  even  successfully  resisted 
Bonaparte,  he  established  conscription,  and  in 
order  to  escape  military  service  thousands  of  young 
Fellahin  courageously  mutilated  themselves,  some 
by  pulling  out  the  right  eye,  or  poisoning  it,  to 
prevent  them  aiming,  others  by  coldly  cutting 
off  the  right  thumb,  to  make  it  impossible  for  them 
to  pull  the  cock  of  a  gun.     But   Ibrahim  was 

^  On  May  1st,  1811,  Mehemet  Ali  invited  this  formidable 
cavalry  force  to  come  in  full  dress  to  the  Citadel  of  Cairo,  and, 
on  their  arrival,  ordered  his  Albanian  soldiers,  whom  he  had  hid 
behind  the  walls,  to  massacre  them  to  a  man.  With  the  exception 
of  Amin  Bey,  who  is  said  to  have  succeeded  in  escaping  on  his 
horse,  they  were  all  shot  down  by  the  musketry. 


EGYPTIAN    COLONIES  201 

not  the  man  to  be  frustrated.  "  These  boys  are 
true  heroes,"  he  said.  "  They  are  more  cour- 
ageous than  my  own  Egyptians.  I  shall  enroll 
them  in  my  service."  And  so  he  created  "  one- 
eyed   squadrons  "    and    "  thumbless  battalions." 

As  in  the  case  of  every  invading  army,  bands  of 
merchants,  hawkers  and  others  followed  in  the 
rear  of  Ibrahim  Pasha's  troops.  And  thus  to-day 
we  find  entire  villages  of  Egyptians  all  along  the 
plains  of  the  PhiUstines,  from  the  river  of  Egypt  to 
Jaffa, — descendants  of  those  of  1831,  and  who 
continue  unmixed.  A  Fellah  of  Palestine  will 
never  consent  to  give  his  pure-bred  Palestine 
daughter  to  an  Egyptian.  "  Ehna  Fellahin  u 
humme  Masriean  ! — We  are  Fellahin  and  they 
are  Egyptians  !  "  he  will  say,  with  a  sneer,  on 
receiving  such  a  proposal.  The  differences  between 
the  two  races  are  too  great  to  make  inter-marriages 
possible.  The  Egyptians  have  semi-Ethiopian 
features, — thicker,  slightly  flattened  noses,  and 
are  of  a  much  darker  colour.  The  Fellaha  has  a 
white  head-veil,  but  the  face  is  bare  and  her  blue 
shirt  is  of  a  lighter  colour  than  the  dark-blue  one 
of  the  Egyptian.  The  Egyptian  wears  the  Burka, 
hanging  down  from  the  forehead,  covering  the 
nose,  mouth,  and  upper  part  of  the  cheeks, 
chin  and  neck,  but  leaving  the  eyes  and  forehead 
free. 

Now,  in  the  service  of  Ibrahim   Pasha  were 
several  young  soldiers  of  one  family,  and  with 


202  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

them  their  parents  and  an  only  daughter.  The 
girl,  Nasra,  had  been  brought  up  among  boys, 
possessed  many  boyish  characteristics,  and,  as  her 
name  indicated,  was  destined  to  be  "  victorious." 
Remarkably  self-willed,  she  commanded  her 
brothers  every  bit  as  much  as  her  parents  did, 
and  consequently  came  to  be  known  by  those  of 
her  race  as  Sit-Ikhwitha, — the  "  Lady  of  her 
Brethren." 

As  the  Egyptian  soldiers  camped  and  decamped 
on  the  long  way  through  the  desert  from  Egypt 
to  Palestine  and  all  along  the  hostile  country, 
Nasra's  masculine  and  authoritative  character 
became  still  more  pronounced.  She  used  to 
accompany  the  horsemen  when  they  went  to  water 
their  horses  and  to  execute  commissions  for  which 
she  was  liberally  rewarded.  Always  awake  when- 
ever a  Bedawi  attack  was  expected,  she  did  not 
hesitate  even  to  seize  a  spare  rifle  and  rush  towards 
the  enemy.  More  than  once  had  she  largely  con- 
tributed towards  the  saving  of  lives  and  on  at 
least  two  occasions  she  had  been  instrumental  in 
rescuing  the  treasure  of  war,  which  was  kept 
in  a  wooden  safe  in  the  midst  of  the  camp.  In 
recognition  of  these  services,  Nasra  had  received 
the  compliments  of  the  commanding  officer  and 
thus  had  become  known  to  all.  The  officers 
especially  had  cast  glances  in  the  direction  of  the 
courageous,  well-developed,  dark-eyed  girl  of 
fifteen.     One    of    them,    bolder    than    the    rest, 


A    COURAGEOUS    GIRL  203 

ventured,  one  day,  on  flirting  with  her.     But  he 
never  tried  again. 

"  How  dare  you  !  "  cried  Nasra.  "  Ya  ebn 
el  Kalb !  Oh !  son  of  a  dog !  .  .  .  Shall  I 
denounce  you  ?  " 

The  officer,  fearing  for  his  life,  since  such 
mistakes  are  often  punished  by  death,  implored 
for  pardon. 

"  I  meant  not  any  dishonesty,"  he  cried. 
"  Imshi  doughri !  Walk  straight,  and  no  one  will 
insult  you." 

The  incident  leaked  out  and  henceforth  Nasra 
could  move  about  the  camp  without  being 
molested,  either  by  deed  or  by  word  or  even  by  a 
look.  This  was  one  of  her  earliest  victories,  and 
it  led  her  not  only  to  a  position  of  greater  authority 
but,  later,  to  wealth. 

Nasra,  the  "  Victorious,"  the  "  Lady  of  her 
Brethren,"  was  ambitious.  She  had  dreams  of 
becoming  rich  and  a  commander  of  men.  Many 
a  time,  during  the  quiet  hours  of  the  night,  whilst 
everyone  in  the  camp,  save  the  sentinels,  was  deep 
in  slumber,  had  she  let  her  thoughts  revolve 
around  the  future.  Young  in  years,  she  was  old 
in  experience  and  cupidity.  One  night,  shortly 
after  the  last  occasion  on  which  her  vigilance  had 
resulted  in  the  saving  of  the  war-chest,  temptation 
stole  upon  her.  How  considerable,  she  thought, 
must  be  the  treasure  of  war  and  how  powerful  would 
be  the  person  who  possessed  such  wealth  as  that ! 


204  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Ah  !  if  only  she  could  say  that  it  was  hers  !  .  .  . 
But,  in  a  sense,  was  it  not  hers  ? — since  it  had  more 
than  once  been  rescued  from  the  hands  of  the 
enemy  through  her  foresight  and  bravery  ?  Then 
a  plan  struck  her. 

She  chose  the  time  for  the  carrying  out  of  her 
daring  project  well.     The  army  had  moved  out 
of  the  dangerous  Bedawi  zone  and  was  encamped 
just  off  Sar'ah,  the  Zorah  of  the  Bible,  ^  near  the 
mountains  of  Judah.     Officers  and  soldiers  felt 
that  they  had  no  longer  much  to  fear  from  the 
enemy  ;  they  could  afford,  now,  to  relax  their 
attention  a  little.     The  camp  fires  had  died  out 
and  the  moon  had  set  behind  the  blue  waters  of 
the  Mediterranean.     A  slight  east  wind  was  blow- 
ing and  in  the  stillness  of  the  night  the  fields  of 
Dura  murmured  incessantly.     It  was  a  peculiar 
sound,  caused  by  the  striking  together  of  the  heavy 
ears  of  the  Syrian  millet,  resembling  Indian  corn, 
and  the  rubbing  together  of  the  plants'  broad 
leaves,  and  it  bore  a  certain  likeness  to  that  of 
men   stealthily   approaching   the   camp.     Nasra, 
who  had  made  all  her  preparations,  aroused  the 
camp  and  declared  that  she  had  distinctly  heard, 
in  a  certain  direction,  the  sound  of  the  enemy's 
footsteps.      Officers   and    men   went   in   pursuit 
of  the  phantom  Bedawin,  but  after  a  time  the 
fields  of  Dura  were  declared  to  be  the  cause  of  the 
false  alarm,  and,  laughing  over  their  empty  fears, 

^  Joshua  xix.  41. 


ISRAELITIC   TOMB-CAVES  205 

they  returned  to  the  camp.  Soon  everyone,  save 
Nasra  and  her  brothers,  who  were  acting  as  senti- 
nels that  night  around  the  treasure  of  war,  and 
whom  she  had  easily  persuaded  to  become  her 
accomplices,  was  once  more  deep  in  slumber. 
Slipping  out  of  her  tent  into  the  darkness,  the 
"  Lady  of  her  Brethren  "  drew  near  to  the  coveted 
treasure  and  had  the  safe  quietly  carried  into  a 
tomb  cave  on  the  slopes  of  a  neighbouring  hill.  ^ 
Then,  when  she  and  her  accomplices  had  returned 
to  the  camp  and  had  again  taken  their  places, 
she  gave  the  alarm  for  the  second  time.  Slightly 
striking  one  of  her  brothers,  who  fell,  as  though 
stunned,  to  the  ground,  she  cried  out,  like  Delilah 
did  in  the  case  of  Samson  :  ^  "  El-kohm — 
^aleina !  Jai  ya  naas  jai ! — The  enemy  are 
upon  us !  Come  here,  oh  people  !  "  The  sol- 
diers rushed  out  of  their  tents  towards  the  safe, 
but  the  treasure  was  gone  and  the  sentinel  appa- 
rently lifeless.  With  Nasra  at  their  head,  they 
rushed  into  the  darkness  in  the  direction  of  Wady- 
Ali,  whence  she  declared  she  had  seen  the  enemy 
carrying  off  the  war-chest.     Others  went  in  the 

1  These  tomb-caves  date  from  the  days  of  the  Israelites  and 
are  hewn  out  in  the  slopes  of  the  hills.  The  natives  of  the  district 
avoid  them,  or  rather  did  so  in  the  days  to  which  this  narrative 
applies.  Of  recent  years  they  have  all  been  visited  by  searchers 
after  antiquities,  and  tombs  which  had  been  unviolated  for  thdfu- 
sands  of  years  have  now  been  opened  in  search  of  spoil.  Sit- 
Ikhwitha  well  knew  that  such  a  tomb  as  she  had  chosen  would  be 
avoided  by  the  superstitious  soldiers  of  Ibrahim  Pasha's  army. 

2  "  The  Philistines  be  upon  thee,  Samson," — Judges  xvi. 
9,   12.   14  and  20. 

15— <2I3I) 


206  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

direction   of  Yalo  (Ajalon).      But  by   daybreak 
the  futile  pursuit  was  abandoned. 

Thus  did  the  **  Lady  of  her  Brethren,"  who 
continued  for  several  months  longer  in  the  rear 
of  the  Egyptian  army,  lay  the  foundations  of  her 
fortune.  She  finally  settled  down  in  Lydda,  the 
principal  town  of  the  plain,  and  there,  with  her 
parents,  went  in  for  commerce.  This  gave  her 
an  opportunity  of  rising  to  the  position  to  which 
she  aspired.  Out  of  the  hidden  safe  in  the 
Israelitic  tomb,  known  to  her  and  her  brothers 
only,  she  obtained  money,  with  which  she  bought, 
first  a  small  house,  and  then  a  field.  Wisely,  she 
abstained  from  suddenly  becoming  rich.  But  as 
the  years  went  by  her  wealth  and  power  gradu- 
ally increased,  and  when  I  first  came  to  know 
her  she  was  the  owner  of  houses  and  lands  all 
over  Lydda  and  district. 

When  the  brothers  of  Sit-Ikhwitha  had  con- 
cluded their  military  service  in  the  Egyptian  army 
and  Ibrahim  Pasha,  in  1841,  had  withdrawn  his 
troops  from  Palestine,  they  also  remained  in 
Lydda  and,  under  her  sway,  became  influential 
people.  She  married  an  Egyptian  and  had  chil- 
dren. But  the  very  names  of  her  husband,  off- 
spring and  relatives  were  unknown  to  the  general 
public.  They  were  always  spoken  of  as  the  "  hus- 
band of  Sit-Ikhwitha,"  the  "  son  of  Sit-Ikhwitha," 
the  "  brother  of  Sit-Ikhwitha  " — she  alone  counted 


A    MODERN    DEBORAH  207 

in  Lydda  and  district.  As  with  Deborah  and  the 
children  of  Israel,  ideas  contrary  to  her  were 
never  uttered.  ^  Even  the  Governor  of  Lydda,  on 
meeting  her  riding  on  her  thoroughbred,  as  on  the 
day  when  I  saw  her  passing  through  the  main 
street  of  the  town,  had  to  greet  her  reverently  and 
often  to  obey  her  if,  imperiously,  she  claimed 
this  or  that  favour. 

^  Judges  V.  7. 


XII 

TAX-GATHERING    IN    NIMRIN 

Nablus,  in  Samaria, — the  Roman  Neapolis  and, 
in  part  at  least,  the  ancient  Shechem, — is  too 
well  known  to  need  more  than  a  brief  reference  to 
its  well-built  houses,  its  fine  situation  and  its  fair 
circle  of  gardens.  Lying  between  the  twin  moun- 
tains Ebal  and  Gerizim  (on  which  the  few  remaining 
Samaritan  Jews — some  150  in  aU  and  the  smallest 
religious  sect  in  the  world — possess  an  old  temple), 
the  town  is  exceptionally  well  watered  and  the 
seat  of  a  Pashalic.  In  the  early  eighties  of  the 
last  century  the  Pasha's  authority  extended  to  the 
left  shore  of  the  Jordan  valley,  where  the  turbulent 
Bedawin  tribes  congregated,  and  even  as  far  as  the 
Dead  Sea.  But  his  jurisdiction  was  merely  nomi- 
nal and  he  found  it  not  at  all  easy  to  levy  taxes. 
In  those  days  the  tax-gatherers  generally  set 
forth  to  claim  their  due  with  the  Pasha  himself 
and  a  strong  escort  of  soldiers. 

Now,  at  the  time  of  my  story,  Khurshud  Pasha 
had  in  vain  asked  for  the  taxes  of  the  Aduan,  the 
wildest  tribe  in  Nimrin.  So  he  decided  to  go  him- 
self and  gather  what  he  could.  Advised  of  his 
visit.  Sheikh  AH  el-Thiab,  accompanied  by  two 
hundred  Bedawin  horsemen,  royally  came  to  the 
Forth  of  Jordan  to  meet  the  government  official. 
Seeing  this  formidable  body  and  realising  that  his 
hundred    soldiers    were    at  its  mercy,  Khurshud 

208 


A    NOISY    RECEPTION  209 

Pasha  immediately  became  extremely  polite, — 
and  his  politeness  tended  to  increase  rather  than 
decrease  when  Sheikh  Ali  ordered  his  warriors 
to  gallop  up  and  down  in  front  of  the  visitor  and 
fire  salutes  in  his  honour.  The  Bedawin  fired 
their  guns  so  near  that  the  sparks  almost  flew 
into  the  Pasha's  face  and  so  long  did  they  con- 
tinue that  at  last  the  official  begged  Ah  to  order 
them  to  cease.  But  the  Sheikh,  as  he  called  out 
to  his  personal  attendants  "  to  receive  and  dis- 
mount the  horseman — '  Howlu  il  Khayal !  " — 
assured  his  guest  that  they  were  so  honoured  by 
his  visit  that  really  they  could  not  cease  firing 
for  joy.  So,  amidst  the  continuous  discharge  of 
firearms,  Khurshud  Pasha  entered  All's  big  black 
hair  tent,  all  lined  with  silk  from  the  market  of 
Damascus,  and  sat  down  on  the  silken  cushions 
which  had  been  spread  for  him  on  the  home-made 
many-coloured  carpet  of  long  sheep's  wool.  He 
tried  to  speak  but  could  not  make  himself  heard 
because  of  the  din.  Coffee  was  prepared  and 
ceremoniously  handed  to  the  honoured  visitor, 
and  all  the  time  the  firing  continued,  both  in  and 
outside  the  tent.  At  last,  boiling  over  with 
indignation,  but  without  showing  it  too  much,  the 
Pasha  hurriedly  drank  his  coffee  and  started  off 
again,  accompanied  by  All's  noisy  followers  until, 
just  before  nightfall,  he  had  safely  reached  the 
Jordan.  The  fierce  Bedawin  then  wished  him 
"  God's    protection^-Fi    'Haffad    Allah  !  " — and 


210  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

galloped  off  into  the  gathering  darkness,  still 
discharging  their  carabines,  pistols  and  flint-lock 
rifles  and  howling  with  joy. 

For  some  time  after  this  episode  the  Aduan  could 
do  without  visiting  the  towns.  But  they  require 
more  than  wheat  and  meat,  which  is  plentiful 
in  their  camps  especially  after  the  harvest.  By 
two  or  three  minor  Ghazu,  they  had  obtained  a  few 
camels  and  tents,  but  that  was  about  all.  They 
badly  needed  to  renew  their  clothes  and  boots 
at  the  only  market  accessible  to  them, — that  at 
Nablus.  So  Ali  el-Thiab  and  his  warriors  were 
very  glad  when  Khurshud  Pasha  invited  them  to 
return  his  visit  and  bring  a  few  taxes  with  them. 
The  Bedawi  chief  promptly  seized  the  opportunity 
and  started  for  Nablus  with  two  hundred  and  fifty 
horsemen,  most  of  them  fully  equipped.  But  the 
Shaale  (black  mantles)  of  many  of  them  were  much 
the  worse  for  wear ;  their  flowing  head-cloths 
(Kafiye)  would  hardly  have  been  decent  but  for 
the  very  nice  home-made  'Agaal,  or  head-cords, 
which,  tressed  by  their  own  women  of  camel's 
hair,  held  the  Kafiye  in  place  ;  their  white  shirts 
were  in  the  poorest  condition  ;  whilst  their  shoes 
and  boots — in  which  every  Bedawi  Khayal  (horse- 
man) takes  a  pride — were  in  nearly  every  case 
quite  worn  out.  Their  weapons,  however,  were 
in  proper  order  ; — trust  the  Aduan  for  that  ! 
Muskets,  pistols,  swords  and  lances  glittered  in 
the  morning  sun  as  they  approached  the  Jordan. 


**GOD    WILL    PROVIDE"  211 

What  matter  if  their  clothes  were  shabby  so  long 
as  their  arms  were  bright  and  ready  to  their 
hand  ?  They  would  soon,  they  told  themselves, 
be  in  the  bazaar  at  Nablus,  where  silk,  sheeting, 
red  and  yellow  boots,  and  everything  for  the 
renewal  of  a  dilapidated  wardrobe  could  be  had 
by  paying  for  it.  It  is  true  that  at  that  moment 
they  were  without  money  with  which  to  buy  all  the 
fine  Damascus  wares  they  would  see.  But  were 
there  no  money-lenders,  willing  to  advance  money 
at  fifty  or  a  hundred  per  cent.  ? — A  Bedawi  will 
put  his  hand  to  any  bond  when  he  is  in  need  of 
ready  cash  ;  for  he  is  a  firm  believer  that  when 
the  harvest  comes  "  God  will  provide, — Bifridge 
Allah !  " — Filled  with  this  spirit,  and  thinking  of  the 
precious  things  they  would  buy,  a  group  of  All's 
men  began  to  sing  an  Aduan  war  song,  beginning : — 

"  Ya  Muhur,  la  alweek  leyaat 
Yohm  il  Khail  il  'arak 
Wayohm  naquel  el-mazareek 
In  maalat  il-ma'aref."^ 

The  last  verse  had  no  sooner  been  sung  than 
another  group,  still  more  enthusiastic  and  full  of 
confidence  in  its  might,  continued: — 

"  Bi  alfain  wulla  thalathe 
Min  khaf  il'Arab  yelamlam 
Fi  Shoor  wulla  Kliabathe."^ 

*  "  My  foal,  I'll  twist  you  round  and  round, 

When  all  horses  are  engaged  in  battle  ; 

On  the  day  when  lances  are  borne 

And  manes  are  wildly  flying." 
2"  Two  or  three  thousand  are  grouped  ; 

The  Arabs  have  gathered. 

Is  it  for  war,  or  trickery  ?  " 


212  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

On  hearing  of  their  approaching  arrival,  Khur- 
shud  Pasha  made  stables  ready  for  the  horses 
of  the  Shiukh  (chiefs)  ;  those  of  the  others  were 
camped  in  the  ohve  yards  around  the  walls  of  the 
town.  By  no  means  at  his  ease,  owing  to  the 
number  of  his  guests  and  their  warlike  appearance, 
he  made  a  point  of  receiving  Ali  el-Thiab  with 
great  cordiahty,  and  of  treating  his  men  right 
royally.  Sheep  and  lambs  were  butchered  without 
end.  Nor  was  Ali  behindhand  as  regards  courtesy, 
— he  had  brought  presents  with  him  for  the  Pasha  : 
a  beautiful  young  horse  of  the  famous  K'hailet 
pedigree  and  a  fine  camel.  The  Aduan  were  well 
contented  with  the  reception  accorded  them  and 
soon  the  streets  of  Nablus  were  animated  with 
purchasers  and  the  noise  of  their  trailing  arms  and 
huge  blood-red  ironed  boots,  with  blue  tassels 
dangling  from  the  tops,  as  they  tramped  over  the 
uneven  pavement.  Coffee-houses  became  filled 
with  moka-sipping  Bedawin  ;  Jews  and  business- 
men were  everywhere  astir,  writing  bills  for  the 
money  to  be  advanced  to  the  eager-eyed  sons  of 
the  desert,  who,  on  seeing  the  gold  coin  brought 
out  of  the  safes,  would  have  agreed  to  any 
percentage. 

When  the  money  had  been  received  and  the 
deeds  had  been  stored  away,  the  Harat-el-'Atareen, 
the  Apothecaries'  or  Perfumers'  Street,  and  the 
Harat-el-Khawajaat,  the  Drapers'  Street,  were 
especially     crowded     with     customers.       Large 


BEDAWIN    PRODIGALITY  213 

quantities  of  perfumery  were  bought  for  themselves 
and  their  wives  at  home.  The  narrow  streets 
rang  with  the  voices  of  the  shopkeepers,  calling 
to  the  passers-by  that  everything  was  better  and 
cheaper  than  at  their  neighbours'  rival  establish- 
ments. In  the  Harat-el-Halawy,  or  Sweetmeat 
Street,  a  crowd  of  Bedawin  waited  to  be  served 
whilst  the  shopkeepers  with  enormous  knives 
cut  big  slices  of  Halawy,  a  sweetmeat  made  of 
sesame  meal,  sesame  oil  and  honey.  Long  had 
these  sugar-loving  children  of  the  East  been 
deprived  of  such  luxuries. 

In  brief,  during  their  three  days'  sojourn  in 
Nablus,  there  was  hardly  a  man  who  did  not 
spend  from  £5  to  £6  on  his  own  body  and  nearly 
as  much  for  his  family  at  home.  The  two  who 
spent  the  least  were  Sheikh  AU  el-Thiab  and  his 
cousin  Gublan, — he  who  had  a  great  scar  on  his 
face,  the  result  of  a  spear  wound  received  in 
battle  ;  Ali  and  Gublan  were  saved  the  trouble 
of  either  loosening  their  purse-strings  or  signin-:: 
bonds  by  the  liberal-handed  Pasha,  who  heaped 
upon  them  fine  silken  gowns,  new  mantles, 
head-dresses  of  silk,  red  boots  and  that  choice 
perfumery  of  Arabia  which  has  been  celebrated 
ever  since  the  days  of  the  Ishmaehtes^  and  the 
children  of  Israel.  ^ 

At  the  close  of  the  third  day  and  whilst  the 
bazaar    was    still    thronged    with    purchasers,    a 

*  Genesis  xxxvii.  25.  ^  Exodus  xxxv.  28. 


214  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Bedawd  could  be  heard  going  round  the  streets 
"  singing  the  retreat  "  : — 

"  Quees  gabel  taghees 
Walla  linafsak  il  gaise 
B'aad  el  farak,"  ^ 

enigmatic  words  to  all  but  the  Bedawin.  For 
unexpectedly,  early  the  next  morning,  after  a 
hasty  farewell  and  a  promise  to  come  again  soon, 
the  Aduan  were  in  the  saddle  and  on  the  way  back 
to  their  wild  country.  Passing  over  the  Plain  of 
Salem,  where  Abraham  and  Melchizedek  met,^ 
these  children  of  the  East  unconsciously  copied 
their  forerunners  by  feeding  their  horses  on,  and 
consuming  themselves,  whatever  they  could  find 
on  their  way.^  They  descended  the  Wad-Faria 
till  they  came  to  El  Ghor,  over  which  they  easily 
passed  ;  then,  in  groups  of  thirty  to  forty,  they 
broke  into  song,  as  though  returning  from  a 
victorious   expedition.     Some  were   singing: — 

"  Barudna  daraj-daraj 
Wal-khail  mafateeh  el  Faraj 
Barudna  Shara  'il  dareeb 
Walli  yaseebo  ma  yateeb."* 

1 "  Give  full  measure  before  you  start ; 
Don't  be  stingy 
At  the  hour  of  separation." 

2  Genesis  xiv.   18.  ^  Cf.  Judges  vi.  3-4. 

*"  Our  fire-arms  we  carry  with  us  afar  ; 
Our  horses  are  the  keys  to  plenty  ; 
Our  powder  is  law  to  the  victim. 
Whoever  is  hit  never  rises." 


A    TURKISH    TRAP  215 

Others  were  chanting  such  love  songs  as  this: — 

"  Ma  zainatin  gharbi-1  Fareek 
Ya  'Halali  soud  'eyounha 
La  fout  rum'hi  wa-1   Farass. 
Ma  zini  hum  ya  'tuba."^ 

How  glad  the  Fellahin  were  when  the  excited  horde 
had  passed  over  their  lands,  leaving  at  least  the 
live-stock  untouched  ! 

Thus,  in  triumph,  did  the  Aduan  return  from 
Nablus  to  their  far-away  camp,  where  the  women, 
in  expectation  of  the  fine  garments  that  they  knew 
were  being  brought  for  them,  were  waiting  to 
receive  them  with  songs  and  ululations. 

The  only  person  who  did  not  feel  satisfied  was 
Khurshud  Pasha.  It  was  not  the  loss  of  his 
taxes  that  troubled  him  so  much  as  the  feehng  that 
Ali  el-Thiab  had  been  playing  with  him.  His 
pride  was  sorely  wounded.  So  he  set  to  work 
to  plan  his  revenge.  But,  as  becomes  a  serious  son 
of  Islam,  he  determined  to  be  in  no  hurry.  Indeed, 
friendship  was  re-established  between  the  two 
chiefs,  and  Khurshud  Pasha  even  went  so  far  as  to 
let  the  taxes  go,  until,  at  last,  Ali  el-Thiab  was 
wholly  re-assured.  It  was  then,  some  two  years 
later,  that  Khurshud  Pasha  once  more  invited  Ali 
to  honour  him  with  a  second  visit.  At  the  same 
time  he  quietly  distributed  a  regiment  of  Turkish 
cavalry  in  the  surrounding  villages. 

1  "  There  is  none  Hke  her  (for  beauty)  west  of  our  tribe. 
What  a  dehght  those  black  eyes  ! 
If  I  were  to  offer  my  spear  and  my  mare, 
I'm  afraid  they'd  not  give  her  (in  return)." 


216  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

When  the  Aduan  came  once  more  to  taste  the 
joys  of  Nablus  they  were  three  hundred  strong. 
"  The  more  the  merrier/*  said  Khurshud  Pasha 
to  himself,  smihng  in  his  beard.  And  as  he  gave  a 
brotherly  welcome  to  Ali  el-Thiab,  he  explained 
that  Nablus  was  too  narrow  to  accommodate  so 
many  guests.  Besides,  their  beautiful  horses 
could  be  stabled  under  much  better  conditions 
if  their  owners  were  quartered  in  the  neighbouring 
villages.  Ah  at  once  consented  to  this  arrange- 
ment, which  was  so  evidently  made  with  an  idea 
of  contributing  to  their  comfort.  But  no  sooner 
were  the  Bedawin  installed  around  the  town,  with 
their  arms  deposited  behind  their  horses,  than, 
at  a  given  signal,  the  Pasha's  soldiers  issued  from 
their  hiding-places  and  captured  them  to  a  man. 
Khurshud  then  threw  down  the  mask  and  told  the 
haughty  Ali  el-Thiab  of  the  fate  which  awaited 
him. 

"  I  shall  have  you  and  your  fellow  Shiukh 
(chiefs)  taken  to  Acca  to  gaol,"  he  said,  "  and 
with  a  similar  fantazia  to  that  with  which  you 
greeted  me  on  a  certain  memorable  occasion. 
Your  followers  shall  go  in  fetters  to  Damascus 
accompanied  by  your  horses,  with  which  I  will 
later  decide  what  is  to  be  done." 

Ali  el-Thiab,  already  a  man  of  about  fifty-five 
and  accustomed  since  boyhood  to  a  free  open-air 
life,  took  very  badly  to  prison.  He  lived,  however, 
for  two  years  more,  when  the  redeeming  Fin j  an 


HUMILIATED    BEDAWIN  217 

'Kahwy,  the  coffee-cup,  mysteriously  put  an  end 
to  his  existence. 

Meanwhile,  Khurshud  Pasha  had  inflicted  upon 
All's  followers  the  cruellest  of  aU  punishments. 
Their  pure-bred  Arab  steeds — animals  of  the 
K'hailane,  'Aheyane,  K'hailet-el-'Ajouss  and  other 
celebrated  pedigrees — were  sold  in  the  market  at 
Damascus  for  such  vile  prices  as  £10  to  £20,  and 
afterwards,  in  the  presence  of  their  fettered  owners, 
put  to  the  plough.  There  is  no  greater  disgrace 
than  this  to  a  Bedawi,  who  will  refuse  to  part 
with  his  horse  under  many  hundreds  of  pounds. 
What  indeed  is  a  Bedawi  without  his  horse  or  his 
mare,  which  in  time  of  war  can  appear  and  disappear 
"  swifter  than  eagles  ?  "  ^ 

^  Jeremiah  iv.   1 3. 


XIII 

THE   WOOING   OF   SABHA 

I 

Abd  er-Rahman  el-Helal,  who  lived  in  the 
village  of  Abu-Dis,  on  the  borders  of  the  desert, 
but  quite  near  Bethany,  was  one  of  the  wealthiest 
men  of  his  community  and  as  such  could  afford 
the  luxury  of  having  two  wives.  Not  that  he 
cared  very  much  for  more  than  one.  A  special 
reason  had  prompted  him  to  take  a  second  spouse, 
Farha,  a  strong  Bethlehem  Moslem.  His  first 
wife,  Kadriye,  a  near  relative  from  the  village  of 
Bethany,  had  borne  him  no  hving  children.  And 
are  not  children,  together  with  riches,  the  best  of 
earthly  goods, — especially  children  who  can  say 
"  Praise  to  Allah  !  "  and  perpetuate  His  glory  ? 
But  Farha' s  married  life,  unfortunately,  was 
short  :  she  died  after  five  years,  leaving  Abd 
er-Rahman  almost  in  the  same  position  as  before 
their  union,  for  she  left  him  only  two  daughters, 
Sabha  and  Aha.  He  loved  them  dearly,  but  all 
the  same  longed  for  a  son  and  heir. 

Sabha  and  Alia  had  a  sorry  childhood.  They 
may  be  said  to  have  grown  up  like  orphans.  Their 
stepmother  almost  hated  them  for  taking  away  a 
part  of  the  affection  of  their  father.  Luckily 
for  them,  Kadriye  soon  had  a  son,  who,  since  he 

218 


A    HARSH    STEPMOTHER  219 

was  born  in  the  Spring  when  the  father  was  absent 
on  a  pilgrimage  to  Naby-Moosa  (the  tomb  of  Moses) 
in  the  direction  of  the  Dead  Sea,  received  the  name 
of  Moosa.  Great  was  Abd  er-Rahman's  joy,  and 
fervently  did  he  offer  up  thanks  to  the  Prophet 
Moses  for  answering  his  prayer  for  a  living  son. 
Two  years  later,  Kadriye  presented  him  with  a 
second  boy,  whom  they  called  Ehsein.  Finally 
came  a  daughter  Hasna.  Sabha  and  Alia  were 
as  glad  as  if  the  children  were  their  full  brothers 
and  sisters,  and  very  useful  they  made  themselves 
in  the  house,  rocking  the  babies  and  carrying  them 
about  when  Kadriye  was  busy  elsewhere.  Yet 
their  stepmother,  who  continued  to  regard  them 
as  intruders,  did  not  always  treat  them  with 
kindness.  The  oldest  of  clothes  were  good  enough 
for  them,  whilst  their  ornaments  were  limited  to  a 
few  coloured  beads  on  their  head-dresses  and  some 
paltry  silver  coins  dangling  from  their  coral 
necklaces.  Often,  as  the  boys  and  little  Hasna 
grew  older,  did  the  girls  feel  their  loneliness, — 
the  injustice  of  the  treatment  meted  out  to  them, 
and  often  did  they  cry  for  their  mother,  until, 
at  last,  the  Bethlehem  relatives  claimed  them. 
It  was  then  that  Abd  er- Rahman  allowed  Aha  to 
go  and  stay  with  her  grandmother  and  sent  Sabha 
into  the  fields  to  look  after  the  goats  and  sheep. 
Sabha  quickly  developed  into  an  exceedingly 
pretty  lass.  Her  mother  having  been  a  Bethle- 
hemite,  her  skin  was  much  whiter  than  that  of  the 


220  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Abu-Dis  girls.  In  other  ways,  too, — the  result, 
perhaps,  of  her  healthy,  open-air  life — she  was 
more  attractive  than  they,  so  that  when  about 
fourteen  she  had  already  more  than  one  admirer. 
But  none  could  tell  her  openly  of  his  admiration, 
or  declare  his  love,  as  this  is  contrary  to  custom 
among  Eastern  lovers.  Besides,  she  was  away  all 
day  long  with  the  animals,  and  on  coming  home  in 
the  evening,  or  before  she  left  in  the  morning,  her 
stepmother  always  had  plenty  of  work  in  store  for 
her.  She  had  to  milk  the  goats ;  sometimes,  early  in 
the  morning,  to  sweep  the  courts  and  fetch  water 
from  the  weU,  some  distance  away  from  the  vil- 
lage ;  whilst  during  the  day,  when  following  the 
herds,  there  was  the  wool  to  spin.  In  short,  she 
was  busy  all  the  time,  but  never  had  a  para  to  call 
her  own.  How  she  wished  she  could  earn  some- 
thing and  buy  her  own  clothes,  or  at  least  some 
silk  to  embroider  her  head-veil, — how  she  longed 
for  rings  for  her  fingers  and  coins  with  which  to 
adorn  her  head !  Ah !  she  often  thought,  if 
only  she  could  go  to  Jerusalem  with  the  other 
girls  to  carry  milk  and  eggs  to  the  market.  She 
would  soon  have  some  money  then.  Besides,  it 
was  no  longer  decent  to  let  a  big  girl  out  day  after 
day  roaming  about  the  mountains.  But  her 
stepmother  Kadriye  did  not  yet  want  her  son 
Moosa  to  go  among  the  rocks  and  be  in  danger 
from  serpents  and  wild  animals,  though  the  father 
hinted  more  than  once  that  the  children  had  better 


A   WANDERING    BARD  221 

change  their  work.  Let  the  boy  now  become 
the  shepherd  and  the  girl  sell  the  produce  at  the 
market. 

II 

Among  Sabha's  admirers  was  one  Hassan  Saleh, 
a  fine  young  feUow,  who  had  met  her  sometimes 
as  he  led  out  his  donkeys  and  cows  to  the  fields 
and  fancied  her  as  his  wife.  But  as  his  father 
was  not  on  good  terms  with  the  El-Helal  family 
and  would  not  have  been  able  to  pay  the  dowry, 
he  had  been  content  to  let  his  fancy  remain  a 
youth's  dream. 

One  December  evening,  when  driving  home  his 
herds  in  the  falling  snow,  and  whilst  everybody 
was  hurrying  to  the  village,  he  saw  an  old  man 
on  a  white  mare  coming  towards  him  and  at  once 
recognised  Said  el-Ma  ^ati,  with  his  one-stringed 
fiddle  protruding  from  his  saddle-bag.  This  old 
wandering  bard  was  well  known  aU  over  southern 
Palestine  ;  everyone  was  delighted  to  see  and  hear 
him.  After  Hassan  had  bidden  him  "  Peace," 
and  the  usual  compliments  had  been  exchanged. 
Said  told  him  that  he  was  going  that  evening  to 
Abd  er-Rahman's  house.  There  would  be  a  goodly 
company  of  villagers.  Could  he,  too,  not  come  and 
hsten  ?  .  .  .  Hassan  hesitated  to  accept  the  invi- 
tation. Would  he  be  welcome  under  Abd  er-Rah- 
man's roof  ?  Did  not  his  father  belong  to  the 
adverse  party  ?  .  .  .  Said  el-Ma 'ati  patiently 
hstened  to  his  scruples  and  smiled  in  his  usual 

l6— (al3i) 


222  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

dry,  knowing  manner.  Then  he  proceeded  to 
set  all  objections  on  one  side.  What  had  youth, 
he  asked  in  turn,  to  do  with  feuds  ?  When  he 
was  young  he  had  had  no  thoughts  for  anything 
save  song  and  music  and  love,  and,  old  though  he 
was,  he  still  remained  faithful  to  the  Muse  and  his 
fiddle  .  .  .  Hassan  passed  on  his  way  undecided. 
But  on  reaching  home  the  thought  of  Sabha's 
eyes  turned  the  balance.  After  supper  he  slipped 
out  of  the  house,  hurried  through  the  snow  to  Abd 
er-Rahman's,  and  quietly  sat  down  among  the 
guests,  just  as  the  bard  was  preparing  his  fiddle 
by  warming  the  sheep's  tail  skin  which  covered 
the  body  of  the  instrument  and  was  passing  some 
resin  over  his  bow. 

Said  el-Ma  ^ati  had  not  only  amused  men, 
women,  and  children  of  more  than  one  generation 
by  repeating  his  interminable  stories  of  ^Antar,  of 
the  Zeinati  and  Abu  Zeid, — stories  of  war  and 
the  chase, — he  had  kindled  flames  in  more  than 
one  breast  as  he  sang  of  lovers  dying  for  dark- 
eyed  Bedawiye,  sighing  and  wailing  as  though  he 
himself  was  the  lover,  and  imitating  joyous  or 
sorrowful  faces  as  the  tale  ran  on.  Many  a  happy 
evening  had  people  spent  with  him,  sitting  silently 
in  the  low-roofed  rooms  and  patiently  bearing  the 
smoke  which  rose  from  the  wood  fire  at  which 
from  time  to  time  the  bard  warmed  his  one-stringed 
fiddle.  Everybody  loved  Said,  his  fiddle  and  his 
mare, — three    companions    who    had   grown    old 


THREE    INSEPARABLE    FRIENDS     223 

together,  and,  moreover,  were  fast  showing  signs 
of  their  years.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  both  Said 
and  his  mare  Rababy  looked  rather  underfed, 
or  perhaps  it  was  that  they  never  put  on  flesh 
through  much  roaming  about.  The  mare  had  the 
same  elongated  face  as  her  master  ;  her  scanty 
beard  was  modelled  on  Said's  ;  her  dry  cheeks 
resembled  his  ;  and,  as  her  large  and  intelligent 
eyes  followed  her  master's  movements,  there  was  a 
sarcastic  twitch  about  her  lips  which  gave  one  the 
impression  that  she  knew  he  had  some  good  story 
in  store  to  tell.  Some  thought  that  she  sometimes 
moved  her  fore-feet  in  imitation  of  a  bow  and  fiddle. 
However  that  may  be,  there  is  no  doubt  about 
this,  that  as  they  went  slowly  up  hill  and  down  dale 
together  they  sought  to  read  each  other's  wishes. 
When  the  hill  was  too  steep.  Said  would  dismount 
and  tell  her  the  stories  which  he  was  to  repeat 
at  their  next  stopping-place.  It  made  the  way 
seem  less  long  to  her  and  at  the  same  time  he 
rehearsed  his  role.  "  Are  you  thirsty,  Rababy  ?  " 
he  would  ask  her  when  they  approached  water, 
and  gently  he  would  lead  her  to  the  wayside 
spring.  Most  of  the  time  the  bridle  was  hanging 
from  the  knob,  as  he  feared  he  might  hurt  her  old 
mouth  by  too  hard  a  pull.  Rababy,  his  fiddle, 
Rababy,  his  mare,  and  himself  were  three  insepar- 
able friends.  His  mare  had  carried  him  during  a 
great  part  of  his  life  and  his  Rababy  had  been  the 
means  of  him  gaining  a  livelihood  by  fiddling,  so 


224  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

when,  sometimes,  he  paused  in  his  song  and  set  the 
fiddle  aside,  to  hear  the  approbation  of  his  hearers, 
he  would  wittily  remark,  "  Rababy  is  hungry  and 
wants  food."  The  listeners  never  knew  whether 
he  meant  the  real  Rababy  which  wanted  warm- 
ing, whether  it  was  time  that  Rababy  the  mare 
had  her  feed  of  barley,  to  be  ready  for  next 
day's  ride,  or  whether  Said  himself  required  a 
strengthening  cup  of  coffee.  However,  everyone 
received  his  or  her  share.  Wood  was  piled  on  the 
hearth  to  warm  the  fiddle,  Rababy  the  mare 
received  a  good  portion  of  barley,  and  coffee  was 
prepared  with  the  necessary  ceremonial  and 
handed  to  the  bard  and  the  company  before  he 
continued  his  poem,  which,  if  particularly  inter- 
esting, was  rewarded  by  an  extra  Majidi  from  some 
generous  hearer.  And  as  the  silver  coin  rolled 
towards  Said  he  would  skilfully  introduce  the  name 
of  the  donor  into  his  song  and  compHment  him 
on  his  generosity, — an  impromptu  which 
invariably  brought  fresh  gifts. 

Snow  had  continued  to  fall  as  thickly  as  ever, 
and  intense  cold  reigned  over  the  whole  district. 
The  Hsteners  at  Abd  er-Rahman's  wrapped  them- 
selves more  closely  in  their  striped  Abbas  and  the 
chattering  women-folk,  in  spite  of  the  heat  of  the 
room,  snuggled  together.  Hassan  waited  for 
every  new  impression  produced  by  Said's  song 
to  look  in  the  direction  of  Sabha  and  try  to  read 
her    thoughts.     In    the    general    movement    his 


AN    ORIENTAL    BEAUTY  225 

assiduity  in  seeking  her  eyes  passed  unobserved  by 
all  save  the  girl  herself — and  perhaps  another. 
Sabha  noted  with  pleasure  that  at  least  one  person 
present  was  sympathetic  towards  her.  Did  Said 
also  detect  his  secret  ?  Or  was  it  merely  a  coinci- 
dence that  when  he  once  more  took  up  his  fiddle 
and  began  to  entertain  the  company  with  a  new 
composition  he  sang  of  love  and  its  trials  ? 

Said's  touching  story,  which  he  opened  with  a 
wailing  "  Ah !  Ah !  "  and  a  few  particularly 
plaintive  notes  on  his  Rababy,  was  that  of  the 
son  of  a  Sheikh  who  became  enamoured  with  the 
daughter  of  a  rival  chief.  The  young  man  was 
much  struck  by  the  exquisite  beauty  of  the  Beda- 
wiye.  Her  dances  were  such  that  the  passer-by 
had  to  stand  still  through  sheer  admiration.  Her 
black  curls  pushed  forth  below  her  veil  hke  thyme 
bushes.  The  long  veil  which  enframed  her  full- 
moon  face  was  all  embroidered  by  her  own  dex- 
terous fingers  with  red  and  green  silk,  and  all  around 
the  brim  dangled  silk  tassels  of  her  own  making. 
Her  walk  was  like  that  of  a  young  foal,  and  her 
long  neck  resembled  a  young  camel's  ;  her  bright 
black  eyes  were  often  likened  to  those  of  the 
gazelle.  The  perfect  brows  of  her  eyes  were 
painted  with  kohl.  Her  looks  were  more  burning 
than  fire  sparks,  and  looked  like  arrows  ready  to 
dart  from  the  black  bows  above  them  and  fly 
at  their  victim.  Her  well-proportioned  body, 
thin  as  a  lance,  was  ornamented  with  a  pair  of 


226  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

pomegranates  from  Damascus,  and  when  she  Hfted 
her  hands  to  shade  her  eyes  and  look  whence  her 
love  was  coming,  tears  like  rivers  would  flow 
from  the  dull  eyes  of  the  enamoured  passer-by, 
and  the  golden  henna  on  her  nails  would  dazzle 
many, — to  say  nothing  of  her  voice,  which, 
though  flowing  as  sweet  as  honey,  was  like  an  arrow 
shot   at   the   young   Sheikh's   heart. 

"  Ah  !  Ah  !  "  moaned  the  Sheikh,  "  I  am  dying 
of  love,  and  never  will  she  be  mine.  Why  is 
bloody  feud  between  our  families  ?  Why  is  that 
tent  curtain  between  her  and  me  ?  Why  can  she 
not  see  me  riding  my  foal  and  showing  my  agility  ? 
She  would  have  pity  on  me,  and  my  tears,  which 
are  drying  up  my  eyes,  would  stop  at  a  single  look. 
I  would  then  carry  her  off  to  a  place  of  happiness. 
We  would  reach  another  camp  and  my  body  would 
again  put  on  flesh.  But  as  it  is,  I  am  worn  to  a 
skeleton  with  care.  Her  black  eyes  and  the  golden 
henna  on  her  nails  have  drawn  out  the  very  blood  of 
my  veins.  My  body  and  my  bones  have  become 
transparent,  so  that  my  very  shadow  seems  nothing 
more  than  the  thinnest  veil.  Ah  me  !  Ah  me  !  I 
shall  surely  die  and  another  will  love  my  gazelle !  " 

Ere  continuing  his  story.  Said  paused  awhile, 
as  though  to  see  what  impression  he  had  produced 
on  his  audience.  Everybody  was  deeply  moved. 
Many  of  the  girls  and  young  men  had  tears  in 
their  eyes,  and  the  glances  exchanged  between 
Hassan  and  Sabha  were  full  of  meaning. 


AN    EMOTIONAL    POEM  227 

"  Alas  !  "  the  looks  of  the  former  seemed  to  say, 
"  I  have  no  horse  with  which  to  carry  you  away. 
Nor  am  I  certain  that  you  would  be  willing  to 
follow  me.  An  attempt  to  take  you  against 
your  will  might  cost  me  my  life.  Perhaps  it  will 
be  better  if  I  wither  away  like  the  young  Sheikh 
in  Said's  poem." 

But  the  message  in  Sabha's  eyes  and  the  happy 
ending  of  the  bard's  narrative  gave  him  courage. 

It  was  long  after  midnight  when  the  last  notes 
on  the  one-stringed  fiddle  ceased.  But  nobody 
was  really  sleepy.  The  company  would  have 
listened  until  morning  had  not  next  day's  duties 
been  in  memory  and  Said  had  complained  of 
hoarseness.  So  when  Abd  er-Rahman  had 
honoured  the  bard  with  a  golden  lira  the  guests 
dispersed  and  retired  to  rest. 

Ill 

Hassan  was  too  full  of  emotion  through  passing 
a  whole  evening  near  his  lady  love  to  sleep  a  wink. 
How  much  Sabha  slept  she  never  said.  One 
thing,  however,  I  can  state  with  certainty  :  long 
after  the  snow  had  melted  and  Spring  had  painted 
the  fields  and  hills  with  green  and  many  colours, 
the  echo  of  Said  el-Ma 'ati's  song  was  still  in  the 
young  people's  hearts.  As  they  went  about  their 
work,  day  after  day, — Sabha  with  her  herds  and 
Hassan  in  the  fields, — they  dreamed  of  wild  rides 
and  a  future  home  in  a  new  and  far-away  land. 


228  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Early  one  mornings  as  Hassan  drove  his  donkeys 
and  cows  to  their  work,  he  met  Sabha  at  the  well. 
If  it  is  not  in  Fellah  manners  to  be  gallant,  love's 
gallantry  is  the  same  all  the  world  over,  so  he 
hastened  to  seize  the  opportunity  to  help  her  to 
set  the  heavy  jar  of  water  on  her  head,  and,  for 
the  first  time  in  his  life,  to  speak  to  her.  But 
words  came  with  difficulty.  He  could  only  think 
of  asking  her  how  it  was  that  she  was  alone.  She 
replied  simply,  that  with  her  father's  wife  there  was 
no  pity.  She  was  forbidden  to  linger  at  the  well  and 
wait  for  the  other  maidens,  for  when  the  heaviest 
housework  was  done  she  had  to  take  the  herds  to 
the  mountains.  "  Eesht  ya  kheyi, — May  you 
live,  my  brother  !  "  she  hastily  murmured  as 
thanks.  And  each  hurried  away,  lest  anybody 
should  see  them  and  suspect  an  assignation. 

The  interview  had  been  of  the  shortest,  but  all 
the  same  Hassan  was  in  a  seventh  heaven  of 
dehght.  In  lifting  the  jar  he  had  touched  her 
body.  He  had  smelled  the  odour  of  the  Khedar 
perfume,  which  she  had  taken  from  her  step- 
mother. His  lips  had  almost  come  into  contact 
with  her  thick  curls  as  they  pushed  forth  under  her 
veil, — curls  like  those  of  the  girl  in  Said's  poem. 
Indeed,  he  fancied  she  was  the  very  image  of  the 
fair  lady  whose  charms  he  had  heard  sung  to  an 
accompaniment  on  the  Rababy  that  winter  evening. 
Strange,  he  mused,  that  her  name  was  Sabha 
(the  Dawn),  and  that  it  was  a  white  morning  when 


HASSAN'S    LOVE    SONG  229 

he  jfirst  met  her  !  Her  face,  now  that  he  came  to 
think  about  it,  was  indeed  hke  the  Dawn.  And 
forthwith  he  named  his  white-faced  cow  Sabha, 
in  order  to  have  an  excuse  for  calling  out  the  name 
of  his  beloved.  How  he  yearned  for  her  !  His 
thoughts  were  full  of  her  when  ploughing,  sowing, 
reaping,  or  thrashing.  Sabha  was  ever  uppermost. 
The  black  water-fowl  with  its  white  face  was 
Sabha  ;  every  white  flower,  every  white  thing  in 
Nature  reminded  him  of  her  and  made  his  heart  so 
overflow  with  poetic  thoughts  that  he  improvised 
a  Uttle  love  song  beginning  : — 

"  Shuft  is — Sabha  fi  tareek 
Ghamat  'hassra  fi  Kalbi 
Sabha  sadrat  jal  fareek 
Tamat  il  'hassra  ja  nari.  "* 

Every  morning  Hassan  went  early  to  the  well, 
but  never  again  could  he  meet  Sabha  there.  It 
was  rumoured  (neither  could  learn  how  it  was  that 
the  news  got  abroad)  that  they  had  met  ;  so 
Sabha  was  no  more  sent  to  fetch  water  at  an  early 
hour.  Moreover,  to  cut  short  all  talking,  Abd 
er-Rahman  decided  that  she  should  no  longer  go 
with  the  herds.  Henceforth  she  was  to  carry  the 
milk  and  produce  to  the  Jerusalem  market  in 
company  with  other  women  and  girls,  and  so  be 
always  guarded. 

It  was  not  long  before  Hassan  discovered  that 

1  "I  have  seen  Sabha  in  the  way. 
My  heart  received  a  severe  knock. 
Sabha  has  gone  and  since  that  day 
I  suffer  from  the  terrible  shock." 


230  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

he  could  only  meet  her  in  the  city,  amidst  the  noise 
of  the  streets  and  when  the  other  women  were 
busy.  You  may  be  sure  that  he  soon  found  a 
pretext  for  going  to  Jerusalem.  People  flocked 
there  every  Friday  :  some  on  a  visit  to  the 
Haram  (the  Mosque  of  Omar),  others  bent  on 
selling  their  animals.  He  knew  that  the  doors  of 
the  city  were  closed  during  prayer  hours,  from  ten 
o'clock  until  noon,  that  nobody  could  either  come 
in  or  go  out,  and  he  calculated  that  there  was 
every  possibility  of  his  meeting  Sabha,  either  when 
she  was  buying  articles  for  a  coming  wedding  of 
which  the  whole  village  of  Abu-Dis  had  been  talk- 
ing for  days,  or  when  she  was  waiting  for  the  gates 
to  be  opened.  His  plan  was  successful.  He  did 
meet  her ;  but  had  merely  time  to  exchange 
glances,  to  assure  himself  that  she  still  had  sym- 
pathy for  him,  and,  ere  he  disappeared  in  the 
crowd,  to  whisper  the  first  two  lines  of  his  com- 
position. It  was  evident  that  he  must  seek  for  a 
better  opportunity  of  telling  her  all  that  he  had  in 
his  heart. 

IV 
The  moon  was  growing  larger  and  the  day  for 
the  wedding  was  rapidly  approaching.  It  was  a 
beautiful  night  in  May,  with  a  clear  starlit  sky. 
Stretched  at  full  length  on  the  roof  of  his  father's 
house,  Hassan  dreamed  of  his  beloved.  For 
several  evenings  he  had  heard  singing  and  ulula- 
tions,    as    the  girls  of  Abu-Dis  gathered  on  the 


HASSAN'S    HAPPY    DREAM  231 

house-tops  to  practise  the  songs  and  dances  they 
were  preparing  for  the  coming  ceremony  ;  and 
now,  once  more,  he  thought  he  could  hear  the 
music  of  song  and  dance. 

He  dreamed  that  he  was  looking  on  at  a  grand 
rehearsal,  and  that  Sabha  was  the  most  agile 
dancer  and  the  sweetest  singer  among  all  the  per- 
formers. Her  silvery  voice  covered  all  the  others, 
and  her  solos,  when  she  improvised  before  the 
other  girls,  sounded  like  a  concert  of  cymbals  and 
drums.  Ah  !  if  only  he  could  get  a  Uttle  nearer 
and  once  more  tell  her  of  his  love.  Listening 
intently,  he  seemed  to  hear  her  words  and  the 
others  repeat  them  : — 

"  Nahun  ibneiat  mithle  ilward  la  fatah  ! 
Kulmin  shamna  walamna  rabahn  alley  fatah  ! 
Ya  makhid  is  samra  ya  aima  ya  imkassah 
Khotlak  wahady  min  il  baid  titsabah  wa  titmassah."    ^ 

Then  came  a  chorus  of  ululation.  '*  Lull-u-luU- 
lull-u-luU-lull-u  ..."  it  struck  upon  his  ear, 
and  so  loud,  at  last,  that  he  woke  with  a  start. 

He  could  hardly  believe  that  it  was  all  a  dream. 
Everything,  and  especially  the  words  of  Sabha' s 
song,  had  been  so  distinct.  Surely  it  was  an 
omen  ?  And  he  found  himself  repeating  the 
lines  one  by  one,  in  order  to  try  to  discover  their 
meaning.     Was  it   not   evident   that   the   "  dark 

1  "  Dark  roses  are  fit  for  the  lame  and  the  blind  ; 

Who  gathers  white  roses  is  never  behind. 

Unceasing  the  blessings  are  sent  from  above, 

And  mornings  and  evenings  are  filled  with  their  love." 


232  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

roses  "  were  the  dusky-skinned  girls  of  Abu-Dis, 
who  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  generality  of  lovers,  "  the 
lame  and  the  blind/'  and  that  the  choice  "white 
roses  "  included  Sabha,  who  was  merely  waiting 
to  be  gathered  by  some  enterprising  lover  ?  If 
only  he  had  the  courage  to  gather  her, — and  with 
her  consent  he  determined  to  do  so, — then  the 
blessings  from  Allah  would  be  unending,  and  the 
rest  of  their  days  would  be  "  filled  with  their  love." 
Yes,  he  must  be  bold  if  he  would  possess  his 
beautiful  white  rose,  otherwise  his  youth  would 
irrevocably  sHp  by  and  he  would  languish  like  the 
young  Hmedan  of  Said's  poem. 

Hassan's  duties  called  him  on  the  following  day 
to  ^Ain  Feshkhah,  to  gather  rushes  (dis)  near  that 
Dead  Sea  spring  with  which  to  make  the  mats 
for  which  Abu-Dis  (the  Father  of  Rushes)  had 
gained  a  reputation.  It  was  late  in  the  evening 
when  he  returned  home  with  his  animals,  and  as  he 
approached  the  village,  eating  some  bread  and  the 
Dom-apples  which  he  had  gathered  from  an  oasis, 
the  sound  of  singing  told  him  that  the  customary 
night's  entertainment  had  begun.  Putting  his 
cows  and  donkeys  in  a  place  of  safety,  he  cau- 
tiously approached  on  the  house-tops,  reached 
the  one  where  the  singers  and  dancers  had  assem- 
bled, and  lay  down  in  the  deep  shadow  of  a  wall 
to  enjoy  the  marriage  revel  and  "  drink "  the 
songs  of  **  his  dawn." 

The  girls  had  lit  a  bonfire  and  were  dancing 


A    PERFECT    DANCER  233 

wildly  around  it  and  a  central  figure, — no  other 
than  Sabha  herself,  whose  flushed  face  seemed  to 
her  lover  to  be  more  glorious  than  ever  as  the  light 
from  the  ruddy  flames  fell  upon  it.  She  was 
waving  a  coloured  Mandeel  (kerchief)  high  above 
her  head  ;  so  that  her  broad  sleeves  slipped  down 
and  revealed  her  alabaster-like  arms,  each  adorned 
above  the  elbow  with  half  a  dozen  glass  bracelets 
of  the  best  Hebron  make.  She  bowed  to  her 
companions  :  now  to  the  right,  now  to  the  left  ; 
she  jumped  here  and  there  ;  she  seized  a  naked 
sword  to  strike  an  imaginary  enemy,  and,  with 
commanding  gestures,  threw  it  from  one  hand  to  the 
other  ;  whilst  her  feet  incessantly  moved  to  the 
music  of  her  song  and  the  circle  of  girls  bowed  and 
danced  and  sang  before  her.  Comely  though 
many  of  the  others  were,  Hassan  had  eyes  and 
ears  for  no  one  save  the  leading  singer.  He  could 
hear  the  swish  of  her  silken  tassels  as  they  tossed 
wildly  to  and  fro  ;  he  could  perceive  her  bare  feet 
as  they  ghded  over  the  smooth  roof.  They  seemed 
like  caresses  to  him. 

Sabha  now  addressed  a  new  song  to  the  coming 
bride  : — 

"  Abiad,  min  ith-thalj  beda  ghabailki, 
Aswad  min  il  fahmi  soda  hawajebki 
Kul  Areesin  in  tallabki  allal  baab  natirki 
Yetla  imhassar  alia  keflat  hawasirki.  "  ^ 

*  "  Your  breasts  are  as  white  as  the  hills  when  it  snows  ; 
Blacker  than  coals  are  your  perfect  black  brows. 
The  candidates,  lurking  about  your  door,  sigh. 
Return  and  regret ;  no  one  dares  to  come  nigh." 


234  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

The  ululations  which  followed  were  not  calcu- 
lated to  quieten  him.  He  resolved  to  act  at  the 
very  next  opportunity,  even  if  he  should  die  in 
doing  so.  Why  not  die  fighting  for  his  beloved 
rather  than  languish  away  in  inaction  ? 

In  her  wild  dances  Sabha's  girdle  had  become 
loosened  and  her  head-veil  had  slipped.  She 
stopped  a  moment,  giving  the  leadership  to  Helwy, 
the  next  best  dancer.  As  there  were  several  men 
standing  by,  Sabha  retired  to  the  shade  of  the 
wall  where  her  lover  was  lying  to  rearrange  her 
clothing,  and,  as  decency  requires,  everybody 
looked  the  other  way,  towards  the  dancers. 
Hassan,  who  feigned  to  be  asleep,  was  so  near  to 
her  that  he  could  almost  have  touched  her. 

**  Ya  Kheiti, — My  sister,"  he  whispered.  "  I 
am  with  you  morning  and  night." 

Recognising  him  immediately,  she  put  her 
finger  to  her  mouth  and  replied  : — 

"  Huss  ya  Kheiji, — Hush  my  brother.  As 
soon  as  the  wedding  is  over,  we  can  meet  again  in 
Jerusalem.  I  will  buy  perfume  for  my  mother 
at  Hadj  Abdallah's  shop  in  the  Suk  el-Attarin, 
next  to  the  Suk  el-Lahamin  ;  ^  and  there  we  will 
speak  together." 

In  a  moment  she  had  fastened  the  red  silk 
girdle,  fixed  the  veil  with  a  great  pin  to  her  thick 
raven  hair,  and  hurried  back  to  the  dancers, 
where  she  took  up  her  post  again. 

1  The  Butchers'  Street. 


GOOD    LOOKS    AND    COMMERCE     235 

Hassan's  heart  was  ready  to  burst  with  joy. 
She  had  returned  the  love  comphment.  For 
the  second  time  she  had  called  him  by  the  sweet 
name  of  brother,  and  she  had  appointed  a  meeting- 
place  in  the  great  city  where  they  could  surely  see 
each  other  and,  in  all  security,  make  their  future 
plans. 

V 

Sabha's  growing  beauty  did  not  influence  her 
stepmother  in  her  favour,  especially  as  her  own 
daughter  Hasna  was  small  and  very  dark-skinned, 
— so  brown  indeed  that  she  received  the  nickname 
of  Abdy  (negress).  When  Sabha  came  home  from 
the  Jerusalem  market,  Kadriye's  animosity  used 
to  take  the  form  of  a  searching  examination  of 
her  accounts,  in  order  not  to  leave  the  girl  any 
chance  of  making  a  few  coppers,  as  pocket-money, 
out  of  her  transactions.  But  Sabha  was  as  good  a 
business  woman  as  she  was  a  dancer  or  singer. 
Even  an  austere  Oriental  prefers  to  see  a  well- 
mannered  tradeswoman,  and  will  willingly  pay 
a  few  extra  paras  if  a  smiling  face  looks  at  him 
from  behind  a  stall  or  basket  of  provisions  and  a 
sweet  persuasive  voice  invites  him  to  buy.  Con- 
sequently Sabha  always  sold  her  milk  or  labban, 
her  hens  or  eggs  much  better  than  the  plainer 
featured  and  less  elegant  mannered  Fellahat. 
That  she  also  contrived  to  make  a  little  legitimate 
profit  for  herself,  in  spite  of  her  stepmother,  you 
may  be  sure.     Sometimes  a  friend,  knowing  her 


236  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

reputation  for  being  able  to  sell  anything,  would 
give  her  goods  to  sell,  and  on  these  she  was  allowed 
a  small  commission.  Thus  was  she  able  to  indulge 
in  those  little  luxuries  to  which  every  Eastern 
girl  aspires  :  small  coloured  beads  and  rows  of 
quarter  Majidis  pierced  with  holes  and  sewn  on 
her  head-dress. 

The  few  days  which  separated  them  from  their 
appointed  rendezvous  seemed  like  months  to 
Hassan,  and  the  marriage  rejoicings  were  wailings 
in  his  ears.  He  could  not  bear  to  think  of  Sabha 
displaying  her  beauty  and  skill  to  anyone  save 
himself.  Yet,  he  often  asked  himself,  what  right 
had  he  to  lay  claim  to  so  superb  a  creature, — he 
who  was  so  powerless  to  carry  her  away  ?  His 
only  steed  was  a  she-ass,  fit  for  nothing  save  the 
carrying  of  mats  to  the  Jerusalem  market.  In  their 
flight — if  ever  she  consented  to  that — the  slow- 
moving  beast  would  be  nothing  more  than  a 
nuisance. 

At  last  the  happy  day  dawned.  Driving  his 
ass  over  the  Mount  of  Olives,  Hassan  saw  the 
rising  sun  tinting  the  Holy  City  with  beautiful 
roseate  colours.  With  the  gilt  cupola  of  the 
Mosque  of  the  Holy  Rock  reflecting  the  bright 
rays  of  the  sun,  the  Temple  plateau  void  of  people, 
and  the  multitudinous  minarets  pointing  to  heaven, 
El  Kuds  was  to  him  the  holiest  of  sanctuaries. 
His  love  was  going  to  be  sealed  in  that  immortal 
city.     "  He  !  He  !  "  he   exclaimed,   as   he   urged 


•^ 


^JO 


o 


^ 


FLOCKING    TO    THE    MARKET      237 

on  his  ass  ;  and  he  wished  she  had  wings  to  carry 
her  over  Kedron.  But  the  beast  of  burden 
responded  neither  to  word  nor  stick  ;  slowly  she 
crept  over  the  Jewish  cemetery,  down  the  slopes 
of  the  mountain,  barely  passing  the  groups  of 
peasants  whom  they  overtook  on  their  way. 
Among  these  were  numbers  of  Siloam  women,  who 
marched  along  below  Absalom's  pillar  with  baskets 
on  their  heads,  containing  heaped  up  cauliflowers, 
parsley  and  chard  beet  leaves  from  their  watered 
gardens.  The  more  women  he  saw  flowing  to  the 
market  the  better  he  was  pleased,  for  he  knew 
that  the  denser  the  crowd  the  more  certainty 
there  was  of  his  meeting  with  Sabha  being  unob- 
served. On  entering  Bab  Sitti  Mariam  (St.  Mary's 
or  St.  Stephen's  Gate)  the  Fellahat,  pouring  in 
on  all  sides,  increased  at  every  step.  Moreover, 
on  that  particular  day,  Jerusalem  was  full  of 
visitors  and  pilgrims  of  every  nationality. 

Hastening  as  rapidly  as  possible  to  the  Bazaar 
where  mats  are  sold,  Hassan  set  down  his  load. 
Hardly  had  he  done  so  than  some  foreign  visitors 
came  and  bought  his  four  mats  at  a  Majidi  each, 
and  at  the  same  time  ordered  ten  more,  as  they 
were  furnishing  several  sets  of  rooms  in  the  Greek 
Convent.  Promising  to  be  at  the  same  place 
a  fortnight  hence,  he  hastened  away  to  the 
Friday  fair  near  the  Prophet  David's  Gate  (Zion's 
Gate)  and  found  the  market  crowded  with  cattle, 
donkeys,    goats    and    sheep.     Six    Majidis    were 

17— (2131) 


238  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

offered  for  his  ass,  but  he  refused  them,  and, 
after  half  an  hour's  waiting,  seeing  that  nobody 
came  his  way  with  a  better  offer,  he  drove  his 
animal  to  a  Khan,  where  he  paid  fifteen  paras  for 
it  to  be  fed  and  looked  after  during  his  absence. 
Then,  with  a  rapidly  beating  heart,  he  hurried  as 
fast  as  the  crowd  would  permit  him  to  the  corner 
of  the  Suk  el  Lahamin  and  the  Suk  el  Attarin. 

Sabha  was  already  busy  there,  choosing  her 
perfumes,  a  little  pepper  and  cinnamon  and  some 
anise  seed  for  dishes  of  curdled  milk.  Nobody 
of  their  village  was  about.  Nevertheless,  Hassan 
acted  with  Oriental  circumspection.  He  feigned 
to  buy  powder  and  shot,  telling  the  'Attar  ^ 
of  his  game  expedition  to  the  oasis  of  the  Dead 
Sea.  There  were  no  formal  salutations  between 
the  lovers  when  they  left  the  shop  and  walked  up 
the  street,  which  was  so  narrow  that  not  more 
than  two  persons  could  walk  abreast  without 
almost  pushing  into  the  articles  hanging  around 
the  shop  doors.  As  soon  as  they  were  side 
by  side  Hassan  lost  no  time  in  making  his  brief 
declaration. 

**  Soon,"  he  said,  "  I  shall  be  leaving  Abu-Dis 
to  go  and  live  beyond  Jordan  with  the  tribe  of  the 
Aduan.  I  can  no  longer  stay  in  the  village  without 
you." 

Sabha  blushed  and,  in  her  confusion,  replied : 
"  Take  me  with  you." 

^  Apothecary  and  perfume  dealer. 


THE    LOVERS'    MEETING  239 

Hardly,  however,  had  the  words  passed  her 
lips  than  she  retracted. 

"  Ye  !  my  brother,  how  do  you  think  I  could 
leave  my  father  and  brothers,  my  work  and  my 
far-away  sister  ?  " 

But  the  word  which  has  passed  the  lips  is  master 
of  the  speaker's  thoughts.  Hassan  insisted  that 
he  was  ready  to  take  her  whenever  she  chose  to 
follow  him.  He  had  merely  time  to  add  that  in  a 
fortnight  he  was  to  bring  a  fresh  supply  of  mats 
to  the  market,  that  she  should  bring  all  her  spare 
things  with  her,  and  that  he  knew  a  sure  way  of 
attaining  their  object.  Some  Abu-Dis  people 
were  coming  down  the  street  and  left  him  but  a 
moment  to  slip  into  a  by-way  without  being  seen. 

VI 

Hassan  and  his  father  worked  busily  at  the  mats 
for  the  next  fortnight  and  Sabha  went  daily  to 
market.  Sometimes  she  returned  home  at  noon 
but  often,  of  necessity,  she  was  later.  Owing  to 
the  gates  of  Jerusalem  being  closed  whilst  the 
people  were  at  prayer,  she  frequently  missed  her 
chance  of  selling  her  produce  to  advantage.  Her 
stepmother's  suspicious  questions  and  looks  when 
she  explained  how  it  was  that  she  had  come  home 
late  greviously  offended  her,  so  that  her  thoughts 
often  recurred  to  Hassan's  projected  departure. 
Could  she  bear  to  let  him  go  without  her  ? 

On  the  eve  of  the  Friday  market,  when  passing 


240  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Hassan's  home,  she  saw  the  mats  rolled  up  in 
front  of  the  door  and  wished  that  she  could  meet 
him,  in  order  to  beg  him  to  stay  in  Abu-Dis.  Just 
at  that  moment  he  came  round  the  corner.  As  he 
passed  her  he  seized  the  opportunity  to  whisper  : 
"  I  shall  be  ready  to  start  to-morrow.  We  will 
meet  at  the  same  shop." 

Late  that  same  evening  Kadriye  made  ready 
the  produce  for  next  morning's  market.  Sabha's 
basket  contained  butter,  sour  milk  and  eggs, 
packed  amongst  olives,  so  that  they  would  not 
break  against  the  milk-jars.  Her  exacting  step- 
mother estimated  the  possible  price  of  every  article 
and  ordered  her  to  buy,  in  the  Suk  el  Khawajat,  a 
piece  of  blue  stuff  for  her  sister  Hasna.  Should 
the  money  not  be  enough,  she  was  to  pay  the 
remainder  from  her  own  earnings,  "  as  her  poor 
sister  was  very  badly  off  for  clothes,  etc.,  and 
never  had  any  chance  of  earning  anything," 
though,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  little  Hasna  was  always 
neatly  clothed  and  had  far  more  silver  ornaments 
than  her  elder  stepsister. 

Friday  came  and  with  it  the  usual  crowds. 
Rows  of  yelling  and  bargaining  women  filled  the 
lower  quarters  of  Jerusalem.  Women  of  Siloam, 
the  Mount  of  Olives,  Bethany  and  Abu-Dis  chat- 
tered and  quarrelled  as  they  bought  and  sold. 
Sabha,  selling  everything  very  quickly,  explained 
to  her  last  customer  that  she  was  in  a  hurry  to 
get  home.      Her  stepmother  wanted  her  to  work 


t/) 


cq 


THE  ELOPEMENT  241 

and  she  would  have  to  hasten  before  the  gates 
closed  for  prayer.  As  she  had  to  buy  the  material 
for  her  sister,  she  went  up  the  town  instead  of 
going  towards  Sitti  Mariam. 

Hassan,  too,  was  busy  selling  his  mats  to  the 
customers  in  the  Greek  Convent.  He  then  drove 
his  ass  to  the  fair,  where,  before  he  had  been 
there  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  she  was 
sold  for  seven  Majidis  to  a  man  of  Bethel,  north 
of  Jerusalem.  He  chose  his  customer  with  care, 
for  anyone  from  the  east  might  have  asked  silly 
questions  :  why  he  sold  his  ass,  and  so  forth.  He 
was  very  glad  of  the  chance  of  getting  rid  of  the 
animal  at  such  a  fair  price. 

With  the  ten  Majidis  for  the  mats  and  seven  for 
his  ass,  Hassan  was  a  rich  man  and  could  start  in 
life  for  himself.  His  powder-horn  was  full ;  his 
small  leather  bag  contained  bullets  and  shot  ; 
his  Shibriyeh  was  fixed  in  his  girdle.  He  had  left 
his  gun  outside  the  gate,  near  Gethsemane,  with 
an  old  olive-guardian,  as  the  soldiers  at  the  gate 
would  not  allow  any  armed  Fellah  to  enter  the 
city. 

Finding  Sabha  at  the  appointed  meeting-place, 
Hassan  explained  that  he  was  indeed  turning  his 
back  on  Abu-Dis  that  very  day.  Was  she  coming 
with  him  ?  .  .  ,  Sabha  again  hesitated.  Should 
she  leave  home  and  throw  in  her  lot  with  another  ? 
Had  she  reaUy  any  right  to  complain  ?  Harsh 
though   her   stepmother    often  was,  she  did  not 


242  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

exactly  illtreat  her  .  .  .  On  the  other  hand,  her 
stepsister  was  rapidly  growing  up  and  could 
easily  fill  her  vacant  place.  Yes,  Hasna  was 
getting  a  big  strong  girl  and  would  soon  be  able 
to  go  to  market.  Besides,  she  was  the  preferred 
one  ...  At  the  thought  of  freedom,  Sabha's 
heart  began  to  beat  riotously.  Then,  suddenly, 
she  gave  her  consent. 

"  Which  way  shall  we  leave,  brother  ?  "  she 
asked. 

Hassan  indicated  a  quiet  street  out  of  the  Bab 
el  'Amud  (Damascus  Gate)  and  instructed  her  to 
turn  to  the  right  and  walk  slowly,  with  her  empty 
basket  on  her  head,  towards  the  north,  where  he 
would  join  her  by  the  southern  side.  Then  they 
parted. 

Half  an  hour  later,  Hassan  and  Sabha  met  at 
Karm  esh  Sheikh.  Both  looked  very  embarrassed, 
for  now  they  belonged  to  each  other.  And  yet 
they  were  strangers.  They  had  never  been  alone 
together  as  at  that  moment.  For  a  few  hundred 
yards  they  walked  without  speaking  a  word. 
At  last  Hassan  broke  the  silence. 

"  My  sister,"  he  said,  *'  anybody  meeting  us 
will  guess  our  situation  at  once  if  we  continue  this 
embarrassment.  People  will  see  by  our  clothing, 
our  manners,  and  our  speech  that  we  are  not  of 
their  parts.  Villagers  know  each  other  so  well 
and  talk  so  much  that  our  flight  will  be  reported 
at  once.     We  must  leave  the  main  road  and  go 


AN    AWKWARD    POSITION  243 

towards  the  Jordan.  But  we  shall  have  to  walk 
quickly  to  reach  the  huts  of  the  Ghawarny  ^ 
before  nightfall." 

StumbUng  over  the  stony  way,  which  Hassan, 
fortunately,  knew  very  well,  the  lovers  made  their 
plan  of  campaign.  They  agreed  to  say  that  they 
were  married,  but  had  quarrelled  with  their  parents 
on  account  of  a  stepmother  ;  and  to  everyone 
inquiring  whence  they  came  they  were  to  give  the 
name  of  a  different  place. 

By  the  time  they  reached  El  Ghor  both  the 
wanderers  were  very  tired.  Sabha  had  left  her 
basket  with  the  empty  milk-pots,  etc.,  in  a  grove. 
The  nearer  they  approached  the  Jordan  valley 
the  warmer  it  grew.  Her  red  mantle  was  the 
only  superfluous  article  she  decided  to  carry  with 
her. 

Received  with  hospitality  by  the  negro-arabs 
above  Jericho,  each  slept  in  a  separate  tent : 
Sabha  with  the  women  and  Hassan  with  the  men. 
The  older  Bedawiyat,  after  hearing  their  tale, 
wisely  shook  their  heads  and  spoke  about  a 
Khatify,  ^  though  Sabha  had  sworn  that  they  were 
newly  married  and  were  going  to  see  the  land 
which  '*  her  husband  "  had  rented  from  the  Aduan 
in  the  autumn.  The  younger  women  and  girls 
fully  believed  her  and  did  not  see  why  it  should 
be  otherwise.  But  the  men  agreed  with  the  elders. 
They   had  noticed  the  lovers'   tell-tale   glances. 

^  Jordan  Valley  Arabs.  ^  Elopement. 


244  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

Some  remarked  that  the  young  man  was  nicely 
shaven  and  looked  very  much  like  a  sinner.  More- 
over, appearances  were  against  them.  The  woman 
carried  practically  nothing  ;  the  man  was  without 
agricultural  implements, — he  had  not  even  a 
sickle.  However,  that  was  their  business.  "  May 
Allah  level  their  road,"  wished  the  sceptical  ones. 
Everyone  had  a  right  to  a  chance  to  live.  And  so 
the  Ghawarny  feigned  to  believe  the  story  which 
had  been  told  them  and  decided  to  indicate  the 
best  way  on  the  following  day.  Should  pursuers 
come,  they  (the  Ghawarny),  having  given  this  man 
and  woman  food  and  lodging,  having  eaten 
"  bread  and  salt  "  with  them,  would  be  obliged 
by  the  laws  of  hospitality  to  deny  that  they  had 
ever  seen  them. 

VII 

Early  next  morning,  Hassan  and  Sabha  were 
on  their  way  towards  the  Jordan.  Their  conver- 
sation centred  around  the  impression  produced  at 
Abu-Dis  by  their  flight.  Abd  er-Rahman  and 
Kadriye  would  probably  ask  the  women  late  in  the 
evening  if  they  had  seen  her,  and  on  being  told 
that  they  had  not  set  eyes  on  her  since  morning,  a 
messenger  would  be  sent  to  Bethlehem,  to  her 
grandmother's,  to  inquire  if  she  were  there. 
Unless  they  waited  a  day  or  two  to  see  whether 
she  came  back.  As  to  Hassan's  father,  he  would 
probably  conclude  that,  as  the  boy  was  fond  of 


ADMITTED    AS    "  MATNUB  "         245 

hunting,  he  had  gone  to  the  desert  with  some 
Sawahry  ^  with  whom  he  had  been  on  expeditions 
before.  There  was  no  need  to  be  anxious  about 
the  ass,  which  he  had  perhaps  left  in  safety  in  the 
Khan.  In  short,  Hassan  and  Sabha  concluded 
that  they  were  safe  for  a  day  or  two  more,  until 
they  were  far  out  of  reach. 

The  lovers  were  not  very  far  out  in  their  pre- 
dictions. When  the  people  of  Abu-Dis  found  that 
the  two  young  people  had  eloped,  every  woman 
knew  more  about  the  past — the  mysterious  meet- 
ings near  the  well,  in  the  town,  and  on  the  road — 
than  was  possible.  Kadriye  was  deeply  grieved 
at  the  loss  of  the  money  from  the  last  sale  and  at 
having  to  find  someone  to  replace  Sabha' s  cheap 
labour.  But  she  had  observed  the  girl's  sullen 
demeanour  and  expected  the  worst.  Abd  er- 
Rahman  was  really  very  much  affected.  He  did 
not  realise  until  then  how  much  he  loved  his 
eldest  child.  He  bitterly  regretted  his  want  of 
affection  and  secretly  blamed  Kadriye  for  having 
treated  the  fair  grown-up  daughter  too  harshly. 

Meanwhile  Hassan  and  Sabha  travelled  on 
beyond  the  Aduan  (their  alleged  destination) 
until  they  came  to  the  Beni-Sakhr,  up  on  the 
plateau  of  Moab.  On  asking  this  tribe  to  admit 
them  as  Matnub^  they  were  received  with  joy, 
and  a  tent  (the  cost  of  which  was  covered  by 
contributions)    was    given    to    them.     Furniture, 

1  Bedawin.  ^  Naturalised   subjects. 


246  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

an  old  carpet  and  the  most  necessary  articles  for 
their  household  were  also  provided  in  a  similar 
way.  Hassan  took  down  his  turban  and  made 
it  a  flying  head-dress  (Kafiye).  Sabha  was  trans- 
formed gradually.  Her  short  Fellaha  skirts  were 
lengthened  inch  by  inch,  and  with  her  spare  money 
she  bought  a  black  mantle,  the  indispensable 
garment  of  every  Bedawiye.  Her  red  one,  in 
memory  of  the  old  days,  she  retained  only  for 
indoor  use.  Hassan  soon  proved  himself  to  be  a 
first-rate  hunter  ;  consequently  he  received  from 
his  comrades  a  fully  equipped  horse  and,  later, 
joined  them  on  their  war  expeditions. 

Sabha  brought  up  many  children  among  the 
Beni-Sakhr  and  never  told  anyone  of  the  story  of 
her  beloved  Hassan's  devotion  until  many  years 
had  passed  and  the  people  of  Abu-Dis  had  long 
regarded  them  as  dead, — the  victims  of  Said 
el-Ma 'ati   and  his   Rababy. 


XIV 

SONG   AND  DANCE   IN  THE  EAST 

I 

Songs  and  dances,  as  well  as  music  and  poetry, 
or  proverbs  and  stories,  may  be  called  the  intellec- 
tual treasures  of  the  inhabitants  of  Palestine — 
treasures  inherited  from  ancestors  reaching  back 
to  the  dawn  of  history.  Superficial  observers  have 
sometimes  remarked  that  their  songs  are  mere 
repetitions,  their  music  monotonous  wailings,  and 
their  instruments  primitive,  indicative  of  a  nation 
in  the  lowest  stage  of  civilisation.  But  many 
writers  forget  that  the  primary  cause  of  this  state 
of  affairs  is  to  be  found  in  the  absolute  belief  of 
the  Arab  in  the  divine  revelation  of  every  human 
gift,  marking  men  superior  to  the  brute.  Thus, 
to  him  the  calem  (pen)  is  of  divine  origin.^ 
Why  then  change  it  ?  he  asks.  A  typewriter 
is  ungodly, — an  occidental  invention.  Books 
other  than  the  Koran  are  wicked ;  singing  at 
prayers  and  dancing  at  a  time  of  devotion  have 
been  inspired  from  above,  and  no  true  believer  is 
allowed  to  admit  new  methods.  Moslems  are 
faithful  and  punctual  to  the  law  and  tradition 
received  from  ancestors,  and  though  we  neither 
admit  nor  submit  to  such  inexorable  obstacles  to 
progress,  we  cannot  refrain  from  admiring  their 
constancy.     What  have  occidentals  done  regarding 

^  Sura  Ixviii. 

247 


248  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

"  forbidden  graven  images "  ?  Not  only  are 
they  everywhere  in  our  streets  and  on  our 
pubHc  monuments — but  even  churches  are  filled 
with  them.  The  Moslem  bows  down  to  fate, 
or  orders  given  in  the  sacred  books,  the  Torah  as 
well  as  the  Koran,  and  cannot  follow  innovations. 
God  ordered  Noah  to  build  an  ark  and  gave  the 
dimensions.  ^  Now,  not  only  Moslems  but  even 
Christian  oriental  sailors  believe  that  it  is  contrary 
to  divine  laws  to  build  ships  over  300  cubits  long. 
Musical  instruments,  songs,  dances,  were  invented 
by  Jubal,  2  and  it  is  transgression  of  the  law  to 
admit  other  ways.  As  the  law  of  Moses  is 
admitted  by  every  true  Israelite,  every  true  Mos- 
lem must  strictly  observe  the  Koran,  which  is 
both  a  civil  and  a  religious  code. 

In  Islam  we  find  a  greater  respect  for  the  letter 
of  the  law  of  Moses  than  amongst  the  alleged 
dispersed  tribes  of  Israel.  The  song  of  Moses 
is  a  glorification  of  the  supreme  power  of  Jehovah.  ^ 
The  Blessings  of  Jacob  and  Moses  prophesy* 
war  and  wealth.  Miriam  and  the  women,  singing 
in  antiphony,  proclaim  the  triumph  of  Israel — 
after  the  destruction  of  Pharaoh  in  the  Red  Sea.^ 
Let  us  take  an  example.  The  modern  Arab 
Kaseedy  is  a  song  of  expedition  glorifying  the 
crushing  of  enemies,  and  the  establishment  of  the 
victorious  tribe  ;  the  Exodus  of  the  Beni-Helal 

^  Genesis  vi.  14-16.      ^  Genesis  v.  21.      ^Deuteronomy  xxxii. 
*  Genesis  xlix.  and  Deuteronomy  xxxiii. 
6  Exodus  XV.  20-21. 


THE   ZOOMARA  249 

from  Nejd,  passing  by  the  Holy  Land  and  fighting 
its  way,  till  the  final  establishment  in  Tunis, 
resembles  the  Exodus  of  Beni-Israel  by  Sinai  to 
the  Holy  City.  A  passage  from  this  Kaseedy 
runs  as  follows  : — 

"  Benadi  il  imnadi  fi  Dawaweer  Abu-'Ali, 
Sultan  Hassan  Yoin  el  Khamees  yesheel, 
Wa  inkan  endhum  hurmuttin  ajnabie 
Yenadiha  la  ahelha  min  gher  jameel 
Wa  inkan  endho  bint  amo  haleelto 
Daneelha  'oj  il  rkab  itsheel 
Wa  taran  bint  it  'am  tusbur  'alla-j-jafa 
Wa  amma-1  gharibey  bidha  didleel 
Walli  endo  muharatin  ma  tittaba'ak 
Yehot  'aleiha  sarj  ma  yen  adal  ma  yameel."  * 

Musical  instruments,  especially  the  Neiye  and 
the  Duff,  are  characteristic  and  unchangeable 
instruments  used  from  time  immemorial. 

The  Neiye,  also  called  Zoomara,  is  a  double- 
reeded  wind  instrument,  generally  used  by  shep- 
herd boys  but  often  also  by  camel-drivers  ;  and  I 
have  often  noticed  how  the  animals  in  Palestine 
are  charmed  by  its  limited  scale  of  notes,  repeated 
hour  after  hour.  My  special  attention  has  always 
been  called  to  this  primitive  instrument,  which  I 
do  not  hesitate  to  call  Abu-Zemoor,  the  father  of 

1  "  The  Herald  goes  round  the  camp  of  Abu-Ali,  and  shouts 
Sultan  Hassan  decamps  on  Thursday. 
If  you  have  foreign  wives 
Send  them  back  to  their  people. 
If  your  wives  be  your  cousins, 
Prepare  the  crooked  necked  (camel)  for  them. 
For  a  cousin  supports  trials  with  patience, 
And  the  foreigner  wants  persuading. 
Whoever  has  an  unbroken  filly. 
Saddle  and  equip  it  well."  ... 


250  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

musical  instruments,  and  for  some  obvious  reasons. 
With  its  very  few  notes,  dull  to  occidental  ears, 
it  can  raise  passionate  flames  in  the  heart  of  the 
Fellaha  girl,  just  as  the  wailing  tones  of  the 
one-stringed  Rababy  can  kindle  the  passion  of  a 
young  man,  and  lead  to  an  elopement,  ^  with   as 


(Generally  the  Neiye  or  Zoomara  is  made  of  reeds,  but  some- 
times it  is  formed  with  the  wing-bones  of  the  Nisr.  The  mouth- 
pieces are  movable  and  attached  with  strings,  and  like  all  the 
other  strings  which  hold  the  two  reeds  together,  they  are 
strengthened  with  pitch.  The  mouth-pieces  are  called  Banat — 
the  daughters.) 

much  ardour  as  can  the  most  enchanting  occidental 
flute,  or  the  skilled  and  dexterous  vioUnist  of  the 
West  playing  on  a  Stradivarius.  And  if  the 
Western  bursts  into  tears  when  he  hears  "  Home 
Sweet  Home,"  the  Oriental  melts  at  the  thought 
of  "  My  Mountain  home,  my  whitewashed  dome." 
And  has  not  this  same  Zoomara,  which  has  en- 
chanted the  under-developed  Palestine  Fellah 
for  ever  so  many  generations,  also  been  a  comfort 
to  millions  of  Christians  who  still  hear  "  the 
sweet  singer  of  Israel  "  but  are  not  aware  that  his 
Psalms  were  composed  to  the  accompaniment  of 
the   Neiye  ? 

When  David  brought  the  ark  to  Jerusalem  he 
delivered    the    first    psalm    to    thank    Jehovah, 

*  See  The  Wooing  of  Sabha,  pp.  218-246. 


BLOWING   A   PSALM  251 

"  Sing  unto  him,  sing  psalms  unto  him."  ^  The 
Hebrew  wording  is  Sheeroo-loo  zamroo-loo — that  is 
sing  a  "  She'er  "  to  him,  blow  a  Zoomara  to  him. 
Now,  a  fellah  blows  the  Neiye  and  the  identical 
word  "Zamroo  "is  used.  Again,  in  Psalm  Ixxxi. 
we  find  the  words,  "  Sing  aloud  unto  the  God 
our  strength,  howl  unto  the  God  of  Jacob.  Take 
a  Zamra  (the  English  version  says  psalm)  and 
bring  hither  a  timbrel  (duff)  the  fine  harp  with  the 
psaltery."  In  Hebrew  '^ Psalm"  is  "Mazmoor," 
indentical  to  the  modern  Arabic,  meaning  *'  played 
on  the  Nei'ye  or  the  Zoomara."  We  also  read, 
"Let  him  praise  his  name  in  the  dance,  let  them 
sing  praises  unto  him  with  the  timbrel  and  the 
harp,"  2 — in  Hebrew,  "  Yehlaloo  bima^hool 
biduff  wabi   Kanoot  yezmaroo-loo." 

Palestine  proverbs  are  always  based  on  incidents, 
and  a  proverb  has  almost  always  a  small  story 
attached  to  its  origin.  The  origin  of  the  proverb, 
*'  Adob  ibneiak  zamarr — Now,  your  son  shall 
blow  "  (that  is  on  the  neiye)  is  as  foUows  :  "A 
man  told  his  neighbour  who  was  going  to  town  to 
bring  a  zoomara  for  his  son.  *  Very  well,'  replied 
the  other.  So  he  went  on  his  journey,  but  forgot 
all  about  the  commission.  The  next  time  he  was 
about  to  set  out,  he  was  again  asked  to  bring  the 
instrument.  '  All  right,'  he  said.  But  he  again 
neglected  to  do  as  his  neighbour  had  asked  him. 
The  third  time  he  left  home,  the  man  handed  him 

1  I.  Chronicles  xvi.  9.  ^  Psalm  cxlix.  3. 


252  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

thirty  paras  for  the  much  desired  reedlets.  *  Adob 
ibneiak  zamarr — now,  your  son  shall  blow/  said 
the  witty  neighbour,  as  he  received  the  money. 
And,  sure  enough,  in  the  evening  the  much 
coveted  object  was  in  the  hands  of  the  delighted 
boy."  Oriental  sagacity  has  placed  the  moral 
education  of  the  nation,  in  their  proverbs. 

Though  the  days  of  Arab  splendour  are  gone, 
when  generous  and  erudite  Khalifs  of  the  Omniad 
and  Abbasid  dynasties,  in  the  marble  palaces  of 
Damascus  and  Bagdad,  royally  bestowed  wealth 
on  poets  for  a  single  verse, — though  Arab  litera- 
ture declined  during  the  dark  ages,  when  the  con- 
queror of  the  north  threatened  to  crush  the  nation 
out  of  existence,  yet,  thanks  to  the  vivacity  of  the 
language  and  the  constant  efforts  of  the  intellectual 
centres  of  Damascus  and  the  world- famed  El-Azhar 
at  Cairo,  Arabic  has  incontestibly  proved  that  it 
is  firmly  rooted.  The  language  has  survived 
political  disaster  and,  thanks  to  this  energy,  we 
are  able  to  read  the  mentality  of  the  people  of 
former  ages,  vividly  preserved  in  immutable 
manners,  songs  and  melodies. 

The  Palestine  mother  sings  to  her  baby  in  the 
cradle  as  Samuel's  mother  did ;  a  woman  sings 
when  grinding  her  corn  as  the  Israelite  of  Isaiah's 
days  ;  with  Jephthah's  daughter  or  with  Miriam, 
the  very  duff  is  used  to  praise  great  feats.  Under 
the  vine  and  fig  tree  they  sing  as  in  the  days  of 
the  judges.     Men  and  women  are  separated  in 


THE   HOUSE  253 

joy  and  in  sorrow,  as  of  old.  From  generation  to 
generation  the  father  faithfully  transmits  his 
wisdom  to  the  son  and  the  mother  teaches  her 
daughter,  the  way  she  learned  from  her  mother. 
Age  is  so  respected  that  it  is  a  transgression  to 
dare  to  change  a  single  word,  a  single  colour. 

These  are  some  observations  concerning  a  family 
group  in  a  well-known  Judaean  village : — 

Miriam  and  Abdallah  were  cousins,  and  had 
been  brought  up  in  the  same  house.  They  had 
grown  up  side  by  side — and  their  manners  were 
the  same.  How  could  it  have  been  otherwise  ? 
For  not  only  were  their  fathers  brethren,  their 
mothers  also  were  sisters.  Each  family  hved  in  a 
room,  which  every  one  pompously  called  "  his 
house."  But  does  not  the  tent-living  Bedawy 
call  his  tent  or  hut  by  the  same  name  ?  "  Beit  " 
House — means  as  much  as  hearth  in  the  English 
language.  These  two  houses  were  nothing  more 
than  two  rooms,  the  doors  of  which  opened  into  a 
court-yard,  itself  surrounded  by  a  wall  on  which 
were  stuck  sharp  thorn-hedges,  ^  to  protect  the 
herds  and  keep  out  thieves  or  wild  animals  by  night. 

As  the  cousins  were  of  the  same  age  and  the 
mothers  Hved  on  good  terms,  Miriam  and  Abdallah 
were  almost  always  together.  The  herds,  the 
land,  the  gardens,  the  poultry,  belonged  to  their 
parents   in    common,    consequently,    whether    at 

^   Cf.  Micah  vii.  4. 

l5— (2131; 


254  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

work  or  at  rest,  there  was  hardly  a  moment  they 
did  not  spend  in  each  other's  company.  When  the 
two  mothers  rose  long  before  dawn,  to  grind  the 
daily  flour  on  the  handmill,  they  worked  together,  ^ 
and  sang  the  songs  they  had  learned  from  their 
mother  and  which,  to  judge  by  the  wording,  may 
be  traced  as  far  back  as  history.  One  of  these 
songs,  sung  in  long-drawn  tones,  ran  as  follows  : — 

"  In  my  father's  house  there  are  riches. 
Black  negroes  go  quietly  about  to  work. 
The  days  of  my  youth  when  visitors  met 
As  the  fruits  of  last  year  have  vanished." 

Half  slumbering  the  children  retained  the  wording 
— and  when  at  play  they  repeated  the  song,  which 
in  their  turn  they  handed  on  to  their  offspring. 

In  the  cradle  they  heard  the  mother's  lullaby : — 

"  Helwy  mattat,  mattat.     La  Walla  salamet  ha. 
Bukra  tokol  Khurfeshy,  ilU  btutkur  fi  jozetha."  ^ 

Or  else,  as  a  variation,  the  other  mother  would 
sing :— 

"  Nami  ya  'eni,  nome  il  hinna  ; 
La  tashufi  adna  danna. 
Ya'h  mik  Illah,  dumti  fi  sa'tik. 
Jufi  bima'dik  Illah  es-sama."  ^ 

Miriam  and  Abdallah  had  also  heard  children's 
songs  from  the  neighbours,  and  being  very  keen 
to  learn  songs  of  all  kinds  could  at  once  repeat  them. 
One  such  song  was  as  follows  : — 

1  Matthew  xxiv.  4L 

2  "  Helwy  is  dead  !    No  !    God  save  her  ! 
She  has  perhaps  eaten  an  artichoke 
Which  has  stuck  in  her  throat." 
^  "  Sleep,  darling,  sleep  in  peace  ; 
May   you   never   have   sorrow. 
God  will  protect  and  give  happiness. 
God  in  heaven  grant  your  prayer." 


A   DOGGEREL  255 

"  Ya   Kammar,   ya  hadi  ya  munawer  alla-1  hanady, 
Awlad  Khamsy,  sitty,  belabu  ta'ht  id  dikky."  ^ 

Betimes  they  astonished  their  companions  by 
singing  unknown  doggerel  rhymes  which  they  had 
picked  up  somewhere  : — 

"  Saranda'h  ya  saranda'h 
Tool  ik-tareek  mana  amda'h 
Bamda'h  sitti  Safiy6 
Im  'ekoos  il  imdaliye 
Dalatni  'alia  bab  el-beer 
A'tatni  shambar  hareer 
Kalatli  bifarhat  amin 
Darabt  il-Kooz  bitufa'ha 
Til'oo  Khawati  rama'ha 
'Hamleen  is-sawany 
Khataftli  Siniye 
Hamra  wamakliye 
Ajat  Khalti  is-sarraka 
Sarkat  min  warai 
Wuk'at  min  Kafai 
Fi  Tamar  wa  hinna 
Tamoot  il  'ajooz 
Watedal  il  kinna."  ^ 

1  "  Oh  moon  I    calm  guardian  who  giveth  light  to  man, 
We  are  five  or  six  children  playing  under  a  belt." 

2  "  Saranda  and  Saranda, 
I  meditate  all  the  way. 
I  think  about  granny  Sophy, 
Limping  on  her  crutches. 
She  showed  me  the  way  to  the  well  ; 
Gave  me  a  silken  shawl. 
She  told  me  with  joy  : 
Strike  the  cymbal  with  an  apple. 
My  sisters  came  in  a  hurry, 
Carrying  great  dishes. 
I  snatched  one  of  them, 
Bearing  roast  and  fried  food. 
My  thievish  aunt  came  that  way 
And  stole  one  behind  me. 
She  fell  behind  me 
Amongst  dates  and  henna. 
When  the  old  one  dies 
The  daughter-in-law  will  remain  (at  home)." 


256  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

As  Miriam  and  Abdallah  grew  up  their  ambition 
was  not  to  invent  new  songs  but  to  retain  the  old 
ones.  After  a  long  summer  without  rain,  pro- 
cessions went  round  the  village,  the  women  and 
children   imploring   for   pity  : — 

"  Ya  Rabbi  itbill  ish-shartoota 
Kabbel  in  'hamel  Kabbel  in-roo'h 
Kabbel  in- 'hamel   'a  Musser 
Fi  Musser  ma  navra'sh. 

Ya  Rabbi  itbill  ish-shaly 
Wa  ma'hna  te'htak  Khaiyaly 
Ya  Rabbi  ma  hoo  battar 
Yalla  Karamy  lal  mattar."  ^ 

Another  year,  when  all  the  orchards  were  full 
of  the  most  luscious  fruit,  many  families  of  Jerusa- 
lem and  Bethlehem  came  out  to  camp  for  a  few 
weeks  and  **  live  on  fruit," — an  evident  imitation 
of  the  feast  of  booths  ^  and  the  Hving  under  vine 
and  fig-tree.  ^  Miriam  and  Abdallah,  always  ready 
to  learn,  made  friends  with  the  town  children  and 
from  them  learned  many  songs  which  were  new  to 
them.  In  the  towns,  where  Jews  and  Christians 
are  more  common,  the  children  said  they  rarely 
made   friends  with  those   of  another  creed  and 

^  "  Oh,  Lord  !    wet  our  veils 
Before  we  load  and  start ; 
Before  we  start  for  Egypt. 
What  awaits  us  there  ? 

"  Oh  Lord  !    wet  our  mantles. 
We  only  act  by  your  order — 
Oh  Lord  !    It  is  not  through  pride. 
We  honour,  O  God,  your  rain  !  " 

2  Leviticus  xxiii.  42  and  Nehemiah  viii.   14. 
»  I.  Kings  iv.  25. 


EASTER-SONGS  257 

often  sang  one  against  the  other.     The  Moslems 
would   sing  : — 

"  Ya  Nasara,  ya  Yahood  ! 
'Eet-kum  'eet  il  kurood 
'Eet  na  'eet  in-Nabi 
Fatrae  jabbat  sabi 
Samato   'Abd   en-Nabi 
Khabatto  bil-Khabaye 
Ta'mato  zalabiye,  etc."  ^ 

The  Christian  children  of  Bethlehem  or  Jerusa- 
lem, to  rally  the  Jews,  turned  against  the  Yahood 
with  the  words  : — 

"  Ya  Yahood  !     Ya  Yahood  ! 
'Eet  kum  'eet-il  kurood 
'Eet  na  'eet  il  Masee'h 
Wal  Masee'h  fadana. 
Bidammo  eshtarana 
Ma  dean  ilia  dean  il  Masee'h 
Wa  fath  in-noor  wa  'esadna 
Wa  hatha  Kabr  Seiedna 
Seiedna    'Eesa-1-Masee'h 
Ehna  ilyome  fara  'ha 
Wal  Yahood   'hazana,"  etc.  ^ 

1  "  Oh,  Nazarenes  !    oh,  Jews  ! 

Your  feasts  are  goblin  feasts. 
Ours  are  for  the  Prophet. 
Fatmy   (his  daughter)  had  a  son, 
Whom   she  called   Abd-en-Nabi. 
She  hid  him  in  the  wheat-trough 
And  gave  him  oil -cakes  there." 

2  "  Oh,   Jews  !    oh,   Jews  ! 

Your  feasts  are  goblin  feasts. 

Ours  are  for  Messiah, — 

The  Messiah  who  redeemed  us. 

With  his  blood,  he  bought  us. 

Messiah's  religion  is  the  only  true  one. 

Light  shone  from  his  grave. ' 

The  grave  is  Our  Lord's 

Our  Lord  Jesus  the  Messiah. 

We  rejoice  on  this  day  (whilst) 

Poor  Jews  are  sorry." 
'  A  reference  to  the  Holy  Fire  of  the  Greeks,  which  is  alleged 
to  come  down  from  heaven  into  the  Holy  Sepulchre  on  Maunday 
Saturday. 


258  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

These  children  also  taught  Miriam  and  Abdallah 
round  games  in  which  all  joined  and  sang  in  a 
circle.  Antiphonally  the  two  groups  sang  the 
words  : — 

"  1st.     Ya  Fatmy,  y  a  'onha 

Fain  ij  jamal  ? 
2nd.   Fil  ma'ssara. 
1st.     Shu  biyokul  ? 
2nd.    Habbet  durra. 
1st.     Shu  beyeshrub  ? 
2nd.   Nuktek  nada. 
1st.     'Ami,  'Ami  ba'd  amak  ! 

Bitjawezneesh  bintak  ? 
2nd.    Bajawzek  iyaha 

Bitebool  wa  zemoor 

Min  Halab  la  Stambool."  ^ 

The  town  families  also  brought  musical  instru- 
ments with  them,  such  as  the  Kanoon,  a  stringed 
instrument  resembling  the  stringed  Kanoot,  or 
harp  of  David.  ^  But  this  was  only  played  in  the 
evenings  by  the  men.  Another  of  their  instru- 
ments was  the  Kamanjy,  a  small  fiddle  which 
differs  from  the  Fellah  Rababy.  The  body  of  the 
former  is  made  of  a  coco-nut  covered  with  sheep- 
skin and  has  several  chords,  whilst  the  latter  has 


1  "  1st. 

Oh,  Fatmy  !    homage  to  you  ! 
Where  is  the  camel  ? 

2nd. 
1st. 

The  camel  presses  oil. 
What  does  he  eat  ? 

2nd. 
1st. 

A  grain  of  durra. 
What  does  he  drink  ? 

2nd. 
1st. 

A  drop  of  dew. 

Uncle,   uncle,   dear  uncle, 

2nd. 

Let  me  have  your  daughter. 
I  will  give  her  to  you 
Accompanied  by  drums  and  ne'iyes 
From  Aleppo  to  Stambul." 

'  I.  Samuel  xvi. 

23. 

MUSICAL   INSTRUMENTS  259 

only  one  string,  is  much  bigger  and  square  in 
shape.  But  neither  the  Kamanjy  nor  the  Kanoot 
were  for  Miriam  or  Abdallah  ;  their  instruments 
were  the  Duff/  or  tamboureen,  the  Durbukky, 
or  the  S'hoon  (Cymbals),  and  with  these  they  did 
their  best   to  encourage   the   dancers. 

When  Autumn  came  and  all  the  visitors  had  left, 
the  two  children  continued  their  musical  studies 
and  by  dint  of  practice  soon  became  recognised 
as  the  most  expert  singers  and  dancers  in  their 
village.  Whenever  there  was  a  wedding,  a  pro- 
cession for  rain,  or  a  burial,  they  were  among  the 
guests. 

As  they  grew  older,  they  earned  a  few  coppers 
by  small  sales  at  the  Bethlehem  market  and 
thus  were  able  to  buy  the  necessary  materials  for 
making  musical  instruments.  Miriam  became  the 
happy  possessor  of  a  Duff,  and  Abdallah  not  only 
purchased  a  Neiye  and  a  Yarghool — but  also 
bought  a  cheap  Soofara  and  a  Shabbaby, 
single  reeded  blowing  instruments.  But  he 
especially  prided  himself  on  a  home-made 
Rababy.  His  favourite  song  was  a  Kaseedy 
of  the  Zeer,  an  old  Arabian  tale  which  runs  as 
follows  : — 

The  factions  of  Kase  and  Yaman  have  been  at 
war.  Murra,  in  the  north,  is  conquered  by  the 
Tobba  Hassan  of  the  Yemen.  (The  Tobbas  of  the 
Hemyarite  dynasty  reigned  in  the  fourth  century 

^  Exodus  XV.  20. 


260  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

A.D.  Tobba  Hassan  was  fifteenth  prince,  from 
236  to  250  A.D.)  The  Tobba  wants  the  beauti- 
ful girl  Jaleely  to  wife.  But  Jaleely  is  betrothed 
to  Klabe  of  the  Kase  faction.  Yet  they  must 
submit  and  send  Jaleely  with  forty  camels. 
Every  camel  has  a  tiiple  chest,  with  two  com- 
partments containing  clothes  and  jewels,  and,  in 
the  middle,  a  hidden  knight  to  kill  the  Tobba 
when  introduced  into  his  castle.  An  old 
necromancer  is  called  and  sings  : — 

"  Takool  il  'ajooz  illathi  Shahtat. 
Ma'an  tazeel  el  'anawi  il  sudoot 
Ya  Tooba   'Hassan  in'em  Wajood. 
Wa  erkab  wa  tared  fok  'alia  inhood. 
Ya  jibu-1  Jalleely,  lajlak  khadeemy. 
Bi  Khadin  a'hmar  wa  jooz  'eyoon  sood. 
Wa  yasba  'ha  ya  Tooba',  ya  Khalbooz  fatha 
Wa  fi  yad  is-seiegh  kul  yome  yesna'oo. 
Wa  ya  badenha,  ya  Tooba'  ya  shillet  'hareer 
Wa  fi  yad  im  'allem  kul  yome  yet  la  'oo 
Wa  ya   'unkha  ya  Tooba'  ya   'unk  el-ghazal, 
Wa  ya  thumha  ya  Tooba'  ya  Khaten  thahoob 
Fi  yad  es-seiegh-Kul-yome  masn'oo."  ^ 

Tobba  Hassan  goes  and  receives  the  bride — 
but  after  much  fighting  is  killed  in  battle,  and 

1  "  The  old  woman  says,  I  witness 

Thou  mayst  adorn  the  captive,  the  sealed. 
Give  in  abundance,  oh  Tooba  Hassan. 
Ride  and  gallop  on  women's  breasts. 
Let  them  bring  Jalleely,  the  captive, 
With  red  cheeks  and  coal-black  eyes. 
Her  fingers,  oh  Tobba,  as  silver  appears 
In  the  hand  of  the  smith,  daily  renewed. 
And  her  body,  oh  Tobba,  a  silken  roll 
In  the  hand  of  the  weaver,  daily  refreshed. 
Her  neck,  oh  Tobba,  just  like  a  gazelle, 
Her  mouth,  oh  Tobba,  a  ringlet  of  gold. 
Daily  repaired  by  the  goldsmith's  hand." 


GIPSIES  261 

Jaleely  comes  back  to  her  tribe.  Her  beauty, 
however,  causes  much  bloodshed.  The  faction 
continue  to  fight  :  Jassas,  the  Chief  of  the  adverse 
party,  against  the  Zeer,  a  son  of  the  Jaleely.  The 
Zeer  is  victorious  and,  as  a  final  condition,  con- 
demns the  descendants  of  Jassas  to  ride  only  on 
donkeys.  Now,  the  Gipsies  are  those  descendants 
and  they  stiU  curse  the  Zeer  : — 

"Yen   'al  Abu-1-Zeer 
Illi  rakabna  hameer."  ^ 

Whereupon  the  Fellahin,  because  they  received 
cows  with  which  to  plough,  answer  : — 

"  Yen   'al   Abu-1-Jassas 
Illi  hamalna  massas."^ 

(It  will  be  noticed  by  the  student  of  these 
Kaseedies  and  popular  songs  that  their  authors  are 
referred  to  by  the  bard  as  either  He  or  Mohammed. 
It  is  not  the  poet  but  the  subject  which  counts.) 

II 

Smallpox  broke  out  in  the  village  and  the  eight- 
year-old  Can'aan,  the  child  of  a  neighbour,  became 
dangerously  ill.  His  mother  vowed  that  should 
he  recover  she  would  offer  a  sacrifice  to  El  Khadr.  ^ 
Her  prayers  being  granted,  she  invited  friends  and 
neighbours  to  join  in  a  procession  to  the  Convent, 

1  "  Cursed  be  the  father  of  Zeer, 

Who  made  us  ride  asses." 

2  "  Cursed  be  the  father  of  Jassas, 

Who  provided  us  with  goads." 

'   Cf.  I.  Samuel  i.  11. 


262  THE    IMMOVABLE    EAST 

which,  though  Christian  and  dedicated  to  St. 
George,  is  acknowledged  by  Moslems.  Among  the 
guests  were  Miriam  and  Abdallah.  All  along  the 
way  the  latter  entertained  the  party  by  playing 
on  his  Neiye.  Miriam,  in  her  finest  attire,  led  the 
girls  and,  like  Jephthah's  daughter,  did  not  forget 
to  bring  her  Daff.  When  the  men  were  busy 
preparing  the  lamb  and  the  rice,  the  girls  gathered 
around  Miriam,  who  was  dancing  her  Me^hla,  ^ 
swinging  her  body  to  and  fro — and  now  and  then 
knocking  on  her  Duff  and  accompanying  it  with 
songs  and  hallelujahs  until  she  was  flushed. 
Her  flying  curls  around  her  forehead  impressed 
even  the  young  men  ;  whilst  the  girls,  delighted 
to  encourage  her,  clapped  their  hands  at  every 
third  note.  At  last  Miriam  sat  down  quite 
exhausted,  though  none  the  less  admired  by  her 
companions. 

On  the  way  back,  whilst  sitting  down  awhile 
near  the  "  sealed  fountain "  at  the  Pools  of 
Solomon,  a  long-haired  Dervish  passed.  He 
paused  a  few  moments  and  entertained  the  com- 
pany with  a  song  which  related,  in  harmonious 
rhyme,  the  troubles  of  Joseph  with  his  brethren. 
It  opened  as  foUows  : — 

"  Wa  ramoo  la  Beer  Jibrin 
Mallaan  Heiyeya  multameen."  ^ 

Abdallah' s  good  memory  and  quick  ear  retained 

^  Judges  xi.  34. 

2  "  They  threw  him  to  Beer  Jibrin, 
Full  of  different  kinds  of  serpents." 


A   ROMANCE  263 

the  words  and  tune,  and  on  returning  home  he 
set  to  work  to  sing  the  song  to  an  accompaniment 
on   his   Rababy. 

Abdallah  had  heard  of  the  seven  Mo'alakat 
hung  in  the  Kaaba  at  Mecca,  and  his  ambition  was 
to  retain  as  much  as  possible  of  all  such  songs. 
He  began,  at  first,  with  short  verses  ;  and  thus 
his  memory  became  very  retentive.  He  quickly 
learnt  how  to  sing  the  No'h  or  lamentation  songs  ; 
and  he  was  also  considered  to  be  very  good  at 
singing  a  certain  Mawaal,  or  romance,  supposed 
to  be  sung  by  his  lady  love  and  beginning  thus  : — 


I       I     ^^^--^ 


-^-  ^  -^-  ^ — »    -^     •  ^ 

"  Wa  la  man  ya  ghib  il-Kamar,  ma  newlak  il  muftaTi." 
"  And  when  the  moon  has  set  I'll  hand  the  key  to  you." 


i 


5 


~cr 


-    _    ^       *    -J-    ' 

"  Ah  ya  lail  ah  ya  lail  ah  hay." 
Dear,  oh  night,  dear,  oh  night,  oh  dear  !  " 

His  town  friends'  Mawaal  were  sung  differently. 
"  Ya  lail  " — was  drawn  out  three  or  four  times  the 
length  of  Abdallah's  "  lail."  Risk,  his  town 
friend,  used  to  put  his  right  hand  to  his  temple  as 
though  to  hold  his  head  for  the  effort  which  the  long 
drawn-out  "  lail  "  required  from  his  whole  being. 

The  following  summer  brought  much  work  in 
the  field,  at  the  lime-kiln,  at  the  olive  harvest,  and 
on  all  these  occasions  songs  to  encourage  the 
workers     were     very     welcome.      At     the     last 


264  THE   IMMOVABLE  EAST 

olive-gathering  boys  and  girls  worked  and  repeated 
a  song  opening  with  the  words  : — 

"  Ya  Zeitoon  eklib  lemoon  ; 
Ya  lemoon  eklib  zeitoon,"  etc.  ^ 

During  the  long  winter  evenings  the  young 
people  played  all  kinds  of  games,  but  She'er  were 
more  welcome,  as  everybody  could  appreciate  them. 
Rabee  brought  new  marriages.  Miriam,  ever 
ready  to  use  her  sweet  voice,  was  again  the  leading 
figure  in  the  dances  in  the  evenings  after  the  day's 
work.  As  if  bowing  to  the  moon,  she  opened  the 
seven  nights'  ceremonials  by  one  of  the  oldest 
marriage  songs,  addressing  the  bridegroom  thus : — 

"  Tull  ib-Kamar  wal  Helali 
Wal  Nijme  ish-sha'ale. 
Walli  bifoot  ir-rafaiik 
Yerkhass  wallow  kan  ghali. 
LuU-u-luU-u-lull-u-,"  etc.  2 

Then,  turning  towards  the  bride,  in  her  own  circle, 
she  smiled  as  she  slightly  changed  her  voice  and 
sang   these   verses  : — 

"  Khaatmik  ya  maliha  arinn  bidaket  in-nooba. 
Inhoodki  hal  beed  mithil  thalj  ma'hsooba 
Sarat  il  kheel  marsooje  wamarkooba 
Bint  il  ajawid  ilia  ibn  is-saied  matlooba — 
Lull-u-lull-u-luU-u,"   etc.  3 

1  "  Olives  turn  into  lemons  ; 
Lemons  turn  into  olives  !  " 
2  "  The  moon  appeared,  that  crescent 
And  the  flame-kindling  star. 
Whoever  hurries  to  leave  his  friends 
Loses  his  value  though  he  be  rich. 
Lull-u-lull-u-lull-u,"  etc. 
2  "  Your  ring,  oh  fair  one,  rings  as  music. 

Your  breast  is  a  white  place  all  strewn  with  snow. 
The  horses  are  saddled  and  the  riders  have  started. 
The  nobleman's  daughter  is  asked  for  the  Lord." 


HOLY   STANDARDS  265 

When  Eed  el-Kebir,  the  spring  feast,  with 
processions  to  the  Sakhra  (the  Holy  Rock  in  Jer- 
usalem) and  the  succeeding  feasts  to  Nabi  Moosa 
came  round — the  young  people  expressed  a  wish 
to  join  the  pilgrimage.  The  Standard,  dedicated 
to  Seidna  'Omar  Ben  Khattab,  was  brought  forth, 
and  with  all  the  instruments,  cymbals,  and  drums, 
the  valid  villagers  set  forth.  Not  only  men  and 
boys,  but  women  and  girls  followed  in  the  rear. 
As  they  approached  the  wall  of  the  Holy  City, 
and  as  Saiara  (processions)  after  Saiara  from  all 
the  villages,  with  their  instruments  and  standards, 
poured  into  the  town,  a  holy  enthusiasm  seized 
the  crowds.  The  men,  half-naked,  di'ew  swords 
and  began  to  strike  their  bodies  until  blood 
gushed  forth,  and  all  the  time  they  wildly  called 
on  their  saints  and  prophets.  What  Bible  reader 
could  fail  to  compare  these  savage  scenes  to  those 
which  the  Prophet  Elijah  contemplated  when  the 
desperate  prophets  of  Baal  ^  expected  wonders  of 
their  deity  ?  Soon  the  Saiaras  filled  the  streets. 
Dervishes  of  all  classes  danced  with  all  their 
energy  before  entering  the  sanctuary  ;2  women, 
arm  in  arm  and  by  threes  and  fours,  followed 
singing  at  the  top  of  their  voices. 

When,  on  the  following  day,  the  ceremonies 
were  over  in  the  temple-court,  the  Saiaras  set 
off  again  with  the  Beyrack,  the  holy  standard  of 

1  I.  Kings  xviii.  28. 
a   Cf.  II.  Samuel  vi.  14. 


266  THE  IMMOVABLE   EAST 

Moses,  for  the  three  days'  feast  in  the  wilderness  of 
Judah.i  Very  trying  to  all  were  these  feasts  and 
very  glad  everybody  was  to  return  home  and  begin 
their  daily  work  again. 

At  harvest  time  the  families  of  both  Miriam 
and  Abdallah  went  down  to  the  plain  of  Philistia. 
There  was  no  healthy  flowing  water  there  as  at 
their  mountain  home, — no  wood, — no  pure  moun- 
tain air.  The  village  had  a  well  about  twenty 
yards  deep  and  as  the  women  drew  up  the  water 
they  sang  to  the  water  genius  : — 

"  II  mal  yareed 
Abdain  waseed 
Winghab  el  Abd 
I'hdar  ya  seed 
'End  el  tawreed."  * 

The  water  is  generally  very  bad  in  the  torrid 
plains  of  Palestine  and  many  mountaineers  suffer 
there  from  malaria  and  ague.  On  this  particular 
expedition  fevers  were  rampant.  One  of  the 
victims  was  Abdallah's  father.  At  the  funeral, 
the  women,  especially  the  two  sisters  and  Miriam, 
rent  their  clothes,  smeared  their  faces  with 
soot,  and,  with  dishevelled  hair,  wildly  danced 
about  the  grave,  singing  the  following  lines,  as 

*  Exodus  V.   1. 

2  "  Property   requires 
A  lord  and  slaves. 
If  slaves  are  gone, 
Remain  my  lord 
In  charge  of  wealth." 


o 
o 


SONG   TO   THE   DEAD  267 

though   trying   to   induce   the    departed   one   to 
return  : — 

"  Ya  Sheikh  hana  mishwariye 
Fiha  Shabab  oo  jahleen. 
Yiridoo  shorak  ya  imsamma 
Ya  Sheikh,  heihum  biendahulak 
Khafeef  U  Kaddem  bista  'jelloolak 
Biridoo  shorak  ya  imsamma. 

"  LafEa  dioof  'alla-s-sa'ha 
Itla  'ya  Abu  Isma'in  shoof 
Kharoof  ma  bikri  dioof 
Wadoo  la  ye'lam  yidjib  oakhra. 
Lihkill  ghamam.  'hafi  oo  'arian 
Li'hkUl  aghnam  'a  mowrad  el  moye."^ 


Sequel 


A  few  months  later  another  death  took  place, — 
that  of  Miriam's  mother.  The  girl  was  so  over- 
come with  grief  that  she  refused  food.  But 
when  her  father  took  another  wife  she  regarded 
herself  as  a  stranger  in  her  own  home,  once  so 
dear  to  her,  and  looked  for  comfort  in  her  best 


*  "  Oh  Sheikh  !   there  is  a  meeting 
Of  young  and  ignorant  lads. 
They  want  your  counsel,  blessed  one. 
Here  they  are  ! — calling  you  Sheikh. 
Light-footed,   they  run  after  you 
And  seek  your  counsel,  blessed  one. 

"  Guests  have  come  to  the  public  place. 
Come  out  Abu  Ismain  and  look  ! 
A  single  lamb  is  not  enough  for  them. 
Send  for  more — one  or  two. 
He  got  up  barefooted  and  naked 
And  went  to  the  watering-place 

(to  get  the  lambs)." 


Sequel  \ 


268  THE    IMMOVABLE  EAST 

friend, — song.     Many  a  time  did  she  sing  these 
lines  : — 

"  Marrakt   'an  belt  il   'habiby 
Lakate  sakinto  ghariby 
Sallamet  ma  raddat   'alleiyi 
II  Beit,  belt  immi  'erifto 
Bish-sheed  wal   'hasma  kasarto 
Sakanto  oo  ghishmit  'aleya 
Lanno  il  'habaieb  fis-sa'ide  waseleen. 
Ma  sheen  'a  nakhel  ij-jareed  oo  jeen 
Ka'ad  ill  'habeieb  'all  i'rak 
Yibkin   'all  ayam  il-afrak 
Yit'hakin  'all  ayam  il-laka."  ^ 

Abdallah  was  now  the  head  of  his  family.  He 
worked  in  collaboration  with  a  number  of  other 
young  men  of  his  own  age,  gathering  brushwood 
and  thistles  for  a  lime-kiln  which  they  had  built. 
Whilst  cutting  the  wood  or  carrying  the  big  bun- 
dles of  thorns,  singing  was  the  order  of  the  day. 
Heaps'of  brushwood  as  high  as  houses  were  gathered, 
and  when  the  fire  was  put  to  the  entrance  of  the 
kiln,  with  a  "  Bism  lUah  !  "  the  men  by  twos  con- 
stantly shoved  in  the  fuel,   singing    antiphonally 

1  "  I  passed  by  the  house  of  my  beloved  (mother). 
A  stranger  had  taken  her  place. 
I  greeted  her  and  she  did  not  answer. 
Though  it  was  surely  my  mother's  house. 
I  knew  the  lime  and  the  clay  which  she  plastered. 
I  lived  there  but  now  am  a  stranger. 
If  the  beloved  ones  (her  father  and  stepmother)    are 

living  in  happiness  ; 
If  they  joyfully  walk  on  palms 
Others  sit  in  sorrow  and  weep. 
And  remember  the  day  of  separation. 
But  sometimes  they  laugh  for  the  days  of  meeting  (again). 


JERUSALEM  WORKERS  269 

the  following  lines,  which,  if  not  profoundly  sen- 
sible, rhymed  and  served  as  an  encouragement : — 


1st  Singer. 

"  Hana    juwa. 

2nd     ,, 

11  'hooma. 

1st      „ 

Wain    waisilna. 

2nd     ,, 

Darb  el  'henna. 

1st      ,, 

Darb  esh-shoke 

2nd     „ 

'Handakoke."  ^ 

When  the  lime  was  burned  they  carried  it  on 
their  camels  to  building-places  in  Jerusalem. 
There  they  found  the  workers  singing  over  their 
task.  The  gangs  as  they  went  up  with  stones  or 
mortar  responded  to  those  coming  down  : — 

1st  Gang.  "  Ya  Muallem  hilna — 
2nd     ,,  Wulla  bnuhrub  kilna — 

1st      ,,  Ya  Muallem  haat  baksheesh 

2nd     ,,  Wulla  bukra  ma  bnijeesh."^ 

These  Jerusalem  workers  also  sang  in  unison 
a  song  which  had  come  from  Egypt  and  was 
known  in  every  street.  Abdallah  picked  it  up  and 
when  he  came   back    sang   it    to    Miriam.     But 

*  "  In  it  goes 

At  the  fiercest  moment. 
Where  are  we  ? 
At  the  henna  road. 
The  way  of  briars. 
Trefoil  plant." 

2  "  Master  !  give  us  freedom 
Else  we  shall  run  away. 
Master  !  give  us  baksheesh 
Else  we'll  not  come  again." 

19— (3131) 


270  THE  IMMOVABLE   EAST 

she   did  not   much   care   for  these   "  novelties." 
The  opening  Hnes  were  as  follows  : — 


N    S     ^    ^_!^— V 


-(* — P 1 1 ■ — ^ i 1— 


y^»^ 


"  Baftu-Hindi,  baftu  Hindi  Shash  hareer  ya  banat  tukhud  uli 

shash  il  ghali." 
"  Indian   linen,    Indian  linen,    Silken   muslin.     Hear   ye,   girls ! 

Buy  me  the  dearest  muslin." 


"  Min  suekat  Hadrabat.  Weft  ahuli  ya  sabeya  laglabat,  laglabat." 
"  From  the  shops  at  Hadrabad.     Open,  maidens,  let  me  enter. 
Weary,  let  me  in  to  rest." 

He  sang  many  more  verses — but  she  only 
liked  the  passage  referring  to  conscription,  for 
lately  a  cousin  had  been  taken  away  to  the  army — 
and  like  every  Fellaha,  she  cried  for  him  as  if 
already  killed  in  war. 


;=g4^aj^sj>^-^  ,>  >  .^  /^ 


"  'Akhadook  it  Turki  minni 

Nawa  'oo  Kalbi  'alake." 
"  And  the  Turks  have  dragged  you  from  me. 

Leaving  sorrow  in  my  aching  heart." 

HI 

Abdallah  and  Miriam  became  engaged.  They 
were  to  be  married  in  the  autumn.  Preparations 
for  the  wedding  were  already  being  made. 
Abdallah  himself  joined  the  dancers  and  singers ; 
he  had  always  been  fond  of  the  Sa'hjy,  that  all-in- 
a-row  dance  in  which  he  was  an  expert,  and  which 


AS   3,000   YEARS   AGO  271 

reminds  us  of  the  Sahak  in  Sinai,  "  when  the  people 
sat  down  to  eat  and  drink  and  rose  up  to  play."  ^ 
In  more  ways  than  one  has  the  Israelitish  spirit 
continued  to  exist  in  the  Fellahin  of  Palestine .  They 
still  sprinkle  blood  on  the  door-posts  in  commemora- 
tion of  some  great  past  event,  probably  the  recollec- 
tion of  the  slaughter  of  the  Egyptians.  ^  Similarly, 
as  in  the  bowing  to  the  golden  calf,  modern  dancers 
bow  down,  prompted  by  some  long  lost  motive. 

Abdallah  was  ever  the  leader  in  the  Sa'hjy. 
Facing  the  dancers,  he  drew  his  sword,  and  gave 
directions.  Singing,  he  made  the  human  wall  of 
dancers  stand  still  or  move  to  the  right  or  the  left. 
All  the  while  they  repeated  what  he  sang — and 
clapped  their  hands.  Suddenly  with  a  very 
reverent  bow,  he  made  them  bow,  almost  to  the 
ground,  like  camels  ready  to  kneel.  "  Kh  ! 
Kh  !  Kh  !  "  he  cried ;  then  commanded  them  to 
rise  again.  Miriam  and  the  girls  with  her  were  so 
delighted  that  for  a  while  they  stopped  their  own 
lively  dance  and  whispered  one  to  another.  How 
grand  the  scene  was.  What  a  master  Abdallah 
was !  And  seizing  her  Duff,  Miriam  began  to 
sing  as  follows  in  honour  of  her  beloved  : — 


"  Ah  !    ih  !    ah  !    A  hu  ya  hath  a'l  la 'ham  ya  bene  il  'ada   kome 

h§,m' 
Ah  !    ih  !    ah  !    'Aduatak  daba'hu  mara'h  il  khabar  ish-Sham  ! 
Ah  !    ih  !    ah  !    Ya  Malek,  ya  ibn  il  malek,  yeblak  bin-nesra 

wadarat  il  fallak." 

1  Exodus  xxxii.  6.  *  Exodus  xii.  17. 


272  THE  IMMOVABLE    EAST 

followed  by  the  Zaghroot: — 

« — « — m — • — p — • — • — » — « — » — « — m 

- — g — g — g    g    g  -g    g    -g    g    g    g    g    g 


'  •  LuU-lull-ull-ull-ull-ull-ull-ull-ull-ull-uU-ull-oo. ' ' 

"  Ah  !  ih  !  ah  !     Wa  naru'h  Udar  il  'adoo  wa  nahidid  ha. 

Ah  !  ih  !  ah  !     Wa  innakkel  a'hjarha  'alia  belaad  il  Karak. 

Ah  !  ih  !  ah  !    Ha  hathak  malekna,  low  la  kan  halikna. 

Ah  !  ih  !  ah  !    Low  la  Rheilak  taaleen  ran  il  *ada  akhadna." 

The  late  Claude  Reignier  Conder  kindly  cor- 
rected my  version  of  this  song,  and  in  the 
''Quarterly  Statement"  of  the  P.  E.  F.  for  July, 
1894,  translated  it  as  follows  : — 

"  O,  there  was  the  butcher,  the  fury  of  foes. 
Your  foes  are  slain,  was  the  news  to  Damascus. 
O  King,  King's  son,  %dctory  is  thine.     (Ululation.) 
And  a  return  to  fortune. 

Let  us  go  to  the  foeman's  home  and  destroy  it. 
And  carry  its  stones  to  Kerak. 
He  would  have  ruled  us — not  till  we  perish  ! 
Before  your  horsemen  came,  the  foe  was  our  prey." 

Marriages  are  very  often  celebrated  in  Palestine 
to  terminate  an  expedition  or  to  show  joy  on 
returning  home.  Therefore  the  songs  on  such 
solemn  occasions  have  a  note  of  victory  in  them. 
The  women  of  Israel  came  out  with  Me'hloot 
and  She'er  playing  on  the  Duff  for  Saul  and  David's 
victory  over  Goliath — and  antiphonally  repeated. 


SINGING   ANTIPHONALLY  273 

— first  group  :  "  Saul  has  slain  his  thousand  "  ; 
second  group :  "  David  his  ten  thousand,"  ^ 
because  David  was  considered  as  the  bridegroom 
of  Michal,  the  King's  daughter.  It  was  a  war 
song  to  celebrate  the  future  marriage,  as  well  as 
the  victory. 

This  singing  in  two  groups  is  often  to  be  noticed, 
— for  instance,  with  Moses  when  he  "  She'ers  " 
for  the  escape  from  the  Egyptians^  or  with  the 
psalm  of  exhortation,  when  one  party  sings  :  first 
"O  give  thanks  into  Jehovah,  for  he  is  good"; 
and  the  second  answers  :  "  For  his  mercy  endureth 
for  ever,"  and  thus  twenty-five  times,  ^  or  as  in 
the  case  of  the  two  companies  which  gave  thanks 
in  the  house  of  God,  Nehemiah  and  the  half  of 
the  rulers  with  him.* 

As  can  also  be  seen,  the  women's  songs  have 
retained  the  old  measure.  At  times  of  joy  or 
sorrow,  triumph  or  loss,  the  melody  differs  little 
except  that  a  more  lively  note  is  noticeable. 
When  Miriam,  walking  one  day  to  Jerusalem, 
saw  mourning  Ta'amre  women  weeping  on  the 
graves  near  Rachel's  tomb,  she  joined  the  mourn- 
ers, as  she  knew  several  of  them,  and  noticed  the 
low  tone  in  which  they  sang  compared  with  what 
she  had  heard  at  Mamilla  in  Jerusalem.  There 
the   women    waved    handkerchiefs    above    their 

^  I  Samuel  xviii.  6-7.  ^  Exodus  xv. 

'  Psalms  cxxxvi.  *  Nehemiah  xii.  40. 


274  THE    IMMOVABLE   EAST 

heads  and  in  shrieking  tones  began  their  address 
to  the  departed  as  follows  : — 
-#-  -#-  -*-  -»- 

Jt  -n  n  -& 


m 


g-g=g^g^ 


n=f: 


^  ■  J.  ;  *  f^*  J  *;3^~ir::r 


Ya  waradi-e 


"  La  mano  hilli  nomo  hoo 
Kadadoo  thiabho  add'hadoo." 

"  When   his   sleep   became   prolonged 
They  rent  clothes  on  his  grave." 

Here,  on  the  contrary,  the  high  pitched  screams 
were  omitted,  and  the  wailing  song  seemed  a  more 
natural  expression  of  deep  grief.  The  mourning 
of  the  dark  Badawiyat  took  this  more  dignified 
form  : — 


i 


J  ■■!     I     I     I  n^xi     I     I     !    ^^x^ 


w 


1^  ^  ->  -^ 


-^    S    S    S    4    S  S.J.^:s    m    4    m  S  .,..^.       .^.^^^.^ 

"  Manaksh  Khaber  y  a  Kheiyi.     Yohne  shufna  'hbabna. 

hm  !    hm  !    hm  !    hm  ! 
Tal'een  biz-zaffy  wul  Kheil.     Wush  Shab  'alia  babna." 

"  Don't  you  remember,  brother,  When  we  saw  our  dear  ones 
Going  on  the  horseback  procession.     And  the  youngster 
at  the  door." 

"  Laminak  tinshara,  Bil  mal  ma  ridna  tana 
Ya  'hesso  ra'd,  y  'erak  la  tahleel." 

"  If  you  could  be  bought — No  money  would  be  sufficient. 
His  voice  was  like  thunder,  a  rock  for  praising  (God)." 

Just  as  Miriam  and  Abdallah  had  learned  songs 
and  dances — No'h  (mourning  songs)  and  Mowaal 
(romances) — from  their  parents,  friends  and  neigh- 
bours, so  in  turn  did  they  teach  their  songs  and 
dances,  unchanged,  to  their  children.     And  as  I 


MIRIAM'S   SONG  275 

listened  one  evening  to  Abdallah's  tune  as  he 
chanted  the  old  dervish's  song  of  Joseph^  I  was 
struck  by  the  fact  that  the  construction  of  the 
song  of  this  modern  singer  was  the  same  as  that 
of  Miriam's  song — not  the  young  woman  before 
me  with  her  "  Duff "  but  the  older  Miriam,  the 
sister  of  Moses,  when,  following  her  brother's 
example,  she  sang  of  Israel's  delivery  : — 


-r- 


dv-JE 


^=\^ 


:m=^ 


m 


-^ 4    *    S    '  S     •     ''mm •  »    _J_    4— 

"  Sheiroo  li  Jahweh  Kigah  gah.     Soos  wa  rakbu  rama  meem." 

"  Sing  ye  to  Jehovah,  for  his  glorious  deeds,  Horse  and  rider 
have  been  thrown  to  the  sea  "  (Exodus  xv.  21). 

It  was  exactly  the  same  as  : — 

"  Wa  ramoo  la  Beer   Jibrin — Malan  heiyeya  multameem." 

IV 

As  if  transported  through  the  ages  of  Palestine 
history,  I  could  distinctly  hear,  when  watching  the 
wild  gestures  of  Dervishes,  the  loud  or  faint  echo, 
as  the  case  might  be,  of  the  songs  and  dances  of 
the  prophets  of  Baal  on  Mount  Carmel.  On 
hearing  the  Neiye,  I  could  imagine  David  com- 
posing a  Mazmoor.  At  other  times  the  sorrowful 
song  for  a  lost  friend  reminded  me  of  the  fall  of 
Saul  and  Jonathan  on  Gilboa,  or  the  clear  tinkling 
voices  of  the  girls  in  the  booths  under  the  fig- 
trees  of  those  old  forgotten  feasts  which  Nehemiah 
instituted  and  which  were  the  occasion  for  *'  very 
great   gladness."  ^     How   could   it   be   otherwise 

^  Nehemiah  viii.  17. 


276  THE   IMMOVABLE   EAST 

when  I  heard  Miriam's  clear  notes  issue  from  one 
of   the   booths  : — 


i 


:^-l7~^~!^-^=^r-feg  I     I  ^   ^  1     ^  L>   '^-V^ 


i 


-• m 1 m m 1 m r- ^j»jj 


Shay  ya  wellay,  ya  wellay, 

ya  bei." 
"  Shay  ya  wellay,  ya  wellay, 

ya  Khei." 
"  Shay  ya  wellay,  ya  wellay, 

ya  low  low," 

and  another  girl,  on  the  opposite  mountain,  respond 
— like  a  far-away  echo  ?  This  singing  from 
mountain  to  mountain,  often  carried  on  for  hours 
in  the  gay  sunshine,  was  interrupted  by  the 
chirp  of  the  cicadas  or  the  continual  croaking  of 
the  crows  as  they  fluttered  about  the  fig-trees  in 
search  of  figs.  ^  The  very  air  itself  seemed 
impregnated  in  this  unchangeable  East  with 
archaic  ideas  and  images.  Ravens  croaked  as 
they  had  always  done  ;  jackals  repeated  the  same 
wailing  sounds  ;  ruins  told  of  ancient  tragedies — 
events  which  happened  thousands  of  years  ago — 
and  yet  were  spoken  of  as  though  they  were 
incidents  of  the  last  war  episode  in  the  Balkans. 
With  such  thoughts  as  these  I  was  riding  home 
late  one  evening  down  the  stony  village  path 
when  it  occurred  to  me  that  Miriam  and 
Abdallah's  songs  were  more  or  less  imitations  of 

1   Cf.  Psalm  cxlvii.  9. 


HALLELUJAH  277 

the  voices  or  sounds  heard  in  Nature.  The 
setting  crescent  shed  its  last  pale  rays  on  the 
innumerable  rocks  which  studded  the  mountain 
slopes.  Behind  the  boulders  the  graceful  cream- 
flowered  stalks  of  thousands  of  squills  peeped  out 
on  the  nocturnal  landscape  like  silent  pigmies. 
Suddenly,  borne  on  the  evening  breeze,  the  sound 
of  drums  and  cymbals  struck  my  ear,  now  louder, 
now  quieter  as  they  were  carried  towards  or  away 
from  me.  Then  I  remembered  that  it  was 
Thursday  night,  on  which  the  Dervishes  assembled 
and  prophesied,  calling  on  the  name  of  the  one 
God  until  the  Spirit  was  upon  them.^  Abdallah 
had  belonged  to  them  for  some  time  past  but  up 
to  then  only  carried  a  big  rosary  about  with  him — 
to  say  his  "  Saba'h."'  He  and  his  comrades  were 
assembled  for  the  Tahleel,  which  originated  when 
the  moon  was  worshipped,  and  which  later  was 
observed  by  the  Israelites  on  the  occasion  of  their 
new  moon  solemnities.  ^  Those  Dervishes  in  that 
village  on  the  border  of  the  Judaean  desert,  were 
dancing  and  singing  with  the  same  ardour  and 
enthusiasm  as  their  predecessors  of  olden  times, 
they  were  exhorted  to  sing  hallel-u-jah  to  the 
sound  of  the  timbrel  as  in  the  day  of  the  Psalmist. 
And  through  the  stillness  of  the  night  the  voices 
came  up  to  me  again  and  again,  repeating 
"  Hallel-u-jah  !— Praise  to  Jehovah  !  "  ^ 

^  I.  Samuel  xix.  20.  ^  Isaiah  i.  13.  ^  Psalm  cl. 


XV 

THEN   AND   NOW 

I 

In  our  peregrinations  up  and  down  the  country 
with  our  bees,  my  brother  and  I  had  pitched  our 
camp  to  the  left  of  the  main  road  leading  from 
Jaffa  to  Gaza,  in  the  low  hilly  country  between 
two  river-beds,  which,  further  up  in  the  mountains 
of  Judah,  were  known  as  Wad-es-Sarar  (the 
Valley  of  Sorek)  and  Wad-es-Sumt,  but  here, 
nearer  the  sea,  had  changed  their  names  into 
Nahr  Rubin  and  Nahr  Sukreir,  near  the  mouths 
of  which  are  the  shrines  of  Naby  Rubin  (the 
Prophet  Reuben),  and  Naby  Junis  (the  Prophet 
Jonas).  Both  these  sanctuaries  are  visited  once 
a  year  by  flocks  of  pilgrims  from  all  parts  of 
Palestine — pilgrims  who  indulge  in  a  few  weeks' 
picnicking  and  spend  the  money  they  have 
carefully  gathered  all  the  year  round  in  view  of 
the  feasts.  When  these  feasts  in  the  wilderness 
are  over  the  places  are  deserted  for  eleven  months, 
and  only  Warrans  and  serpents  leave  their  unmis- 
takable traces  in  the  deep  sand  which  for  miles 
covers  the  country.  After  the  rainy  season,  the 
rivers  become  flooded,  and  the  consequent  stag- 
nant marshes  afford  good  shelter  for  birds  of  all 
kinds — magnificent    haunts    for    the    sportsman 

278 


APIARIES   IN   MARSHES  279 

were  it  not  for  Sultan  Wakham,i  who  reigns 
supreme,  and  innumerable  mosquitoes,  who  help 
to  inoculate  his  dangerous  virus  into  the  systems 
of  the  few  daring  visitors  who,  like  ourselves, 
ventured  there.  Jackals,  ichneumons,  foxes  and, 
now  and  then,  a  stray  hyaena,  are  the  only  quad- 
rupeds who  live  and  find  plenty  of  food  in  those 
inhospitable  marshes.  Our  own  special  reason  for 
going  there  was  the  rich  flora  in  August  and 
September,  when  our  apiaries  could  best  profit 
by  the  flowers.  We  usually  avoided  all  such 
villages  as  Shuweikeh  (Socoh),  Tell-es-Safi  (the 
Blanchegarde  of  the  Crusaders),  or  the  Jewish 
colonies  of  Ekron  and  Katra  (Gederoth),  and  set 
up  our  hives  on  the  banks  of  the  Wadies,  mostly 
lined  with  melliferous  Agnus  Castus. 

Our  apiaries  were  generally  guarded  by  North 
Africans,  who  were  admirably  fitted  for  keeping 
would-be  marauders  at  a  distance.  As  in  the  days 
of  David  and  Saul,  people  of  all  classes,  eager  to 
escape  being  called  to  judgment  in  the  more 
orderly  centres,  flocked  to  this  land  of  the  Philis- 
tines to  be  in  safety.  ^  True,  we  did  not  frighten 
anybody  by  foohsh  ways,  as  Nabal  did,^  nor  did 
we  ask  who  they  were,  nor  did  we  care  to  know 
the  names  of  "  the  servants  that  broke  away  from 
their  masters."  By  the  intervention  of  our 
Moroccans,  we  chose  Abigail's  poHcy,  and  let  these 

^  Malaria.  2  j,  Samuel  xxvii.  1-2. 

'  I.  Samuel  xxv. 


280  THE   IMMOVABLE   EAST 

suspicious  characters  have  honey  in  return   for 
"  being  not  hurt  by  them." 

Late  one  evening,  when  the  plain  was  still 
burning  with  the  heat  of  a  torrid  August  day,  and 
we  were  about  to  retire  to  rest,  strange  sounds  as 
of  men  in  peril  fell  on  our  ears.  Swift  as  lightning, 
one  of  our  guardians,  'Hadj  Imhammad,  seized 
his  double-barrelled  gun  and  rushed  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  voices.  Though  a  comparatively 
honest  fellow,  whenever  he  could  join  in  a  row 
with  a  chance  of  obtaining  a  share  of  the  booty, 
he  became  as  vigorous  a  ruffian  as  any  of  those 
who  waylaid  belated  wayfarers  in  the  long  wind- 
ings of  the  Wadies.  His  very  rifle  he  had  obtained 
in  one  of  these  expeditions,  in  which  he  "  had  not 
hurt  the  robbers."  On  'Hajd  Imhammad  drawing 
near  to  the  place  whence  the  sounds  came,  he 
heard  the  complaints  of  a  man  lying  wounded, 
perhaps  dying,  on  the  ground.  It  was  not  long 
before  he  found  him  and  lifted  him  up.  He  was 
a  stranger,  an  Arab  townsman.  On  opening  his 
eyes,  the  wounded  man  put  his  hand  to  his  girdle, 
where  he  generally  kept  his  pistol,  and  cried 
out:  "  Kohm  wulla  sa'heb  ?— Friend  or  foe?" 
Imhammad  quickly  quieted  him,  explaining  that 
he  was  a  friend,  a  true  believer,  who  had  come  to 
rescue  him.  The  injury  he  had  received  was  a 
blow  on  the  forehead  from  a  Naboot,  but  he  could 
stand  up  fairly  well  and  so,  leaning  on  Imhammad's 
arm,  the  two  men  hobbled  into  our  camp.     But 


HATED   FRAN  J  IS  281 

no  sooner  did  the  stranger  recognise  us  to  be 
"  hated  Franjis  *'  than  he  stood  stock  still  and 
seemed  to  be  making  up  his  mind  to  retreat.  It 
took  all  'Hadj  Imhammad's  eloquence  to  persuade 
him  that  we  were  really  good  people — "  almost  as 
good  as  Moslems  " — and  that  we  should  look  after 
him  well  until  he  went  on  to  Jaffa  or  Jerusalem. 
Esdud  (Ashdod)  was  too  far  south  ;  Yebna  was  a 
good  way  off ;  and  it  was  doubtful  whether  he 
could  count  on  as  warm  hospitality  in  the  Jewish 
colonies  off  the  road  as  with  "  his  masters."  The 
man  repUed  that  he  was  now  living  in  Jerusalem, 
but  that  he  knew  the  whole  country  and  was  a 
native  of  Hebron,  which  he  had  left  years  ago. 
He  always  looked  for  a  place  where  no  Christians 
came  into  contact  with  him.  True  to  his  native 
town,  he  swore  "  by  the  life  of  the  Prophet 
Abraham,  the  friend  of  God — Wu'heyat  in- 
Nabi  Ibrahim  Khaleel  Allah !  "  However,  on 
hearing  that  we  were  the  Urtas  Franjis,  his 
attitude  suddenly  changed.  His  face  positively 
beamed  with  joy,  and  he  at  once  consented  to 
tell  us  who  he  was. 

His  name,  he  said,  was  Hassan  Yaseen  Abu- 
Razek,  and  he  was  the  nephew  of  the  well-known 
Sheikh  Hamzy,  the  travellers'  guide  of  Hebron. 
Strange  to  say,  we  were  not  unknown  to  each 
other.  On  one  occasion,  when  on  a  tour  to 
Hebron  and  in  the  ever-regretted  vineyards  of 
^Ain  Askala,  he    had    found    us   boys   with    our 


282  THE   IMMOVABLE   EAST 

mother  living  in  a  hut  under  his  uncle's  big  nut 
tree.  And  he  distinctly  remembered  the  good 
woman  going  round  from  hut  to  hut  in  the  vine- 
yards, tending  the  sick,  giving  quinine  to  this  and 
that  one,  but  especially  dropping  Kutra  (lapis 
inf emails)  into  the  eyes  of  the  numerous  ophthalmia 
suffering  women  and  children,  including  himself. 
Never  would  he  forget  Im-Hanary  (the  mother  of 
Henry),  the  Hakimy.  ^  Henceforth  we  were  almost 
brethren,  for  had  we  not  lived  several  weeks  under 
the  same  hut  and  starlit  sky — had  we  not  eaten 
"  bread  and  salt  "  ("  il  'esh  walmal'h  ")  together, 
in  good  old  Sheikh  Hamzy's  vineyard  ? 

II 

When  Hassan  Yaseen  had  had  a  good  night's 
rest  and  had  partaken  of  our  frugal  breakfast — 
the  usual  cup  of  Moka,  biscuits  and  honey — we 
rolled  our  cigarettes  and  spoke  together  about  his 
narrow  escape  on  the  previous  night  and  our 
wonderful  meeting  after  so  many  years.  He,  too, 
had  been  a  citizen  of  the  world,  as  the  story  of  his 
travels  and  adventures  showed. 

"  By  Nabi  Ibrahim  el  Khaleel,"  he  began, 
"  Naseeb  (Fate)  has  brought  us  together  again. 
May  we  often  meet  thus.  Though  I  thought  that 
the  perilous  days  of  Fellah  Sheikdom  had  gone  for 
ever,  and  that  the  Turkish  Government  had  put 

1  Doctoress. 


GRAPES   OF   ESHCOL  283 

order  into  the  unsettled  days  of  my  youth,  travel 
is  evidently  still  Khattar.  ^  I  will  retire  from 
business  after  this  last  adventure.  .  .  .  When 
I  was  a  boy  my  father  owned  one  of  the  finest 
vineyards  near  'Ain  Askala,  ^  where  the  renowned 
Hebron  grapes  grow.  That  luscious  fruit  always 
sold  at  a  superior  price,  and  often  we  could  keep 
it  until  the  Christians'  Eed  el  Milady  (Christmas), 
when  it  fetched  as  high  a  figure  as  three  piastres 
a  rottel.  ^  How  I  loved  the  beautiful  shade  under 
the  pomegranate  and  fig-trees  of  'Ain  Askala  ! 
But  my  star  led  me  elsewhere.  As  a  rule,  we 
would  not  sell  the  grapes  to  Jews  and  Christians, 
as  they  generally  transformed  them  into  wine  and 
spirits,  and  this  despite  the  fact  that  the  Jews 
living  in  Hebron  often  offered  us  high  prices. 
Rather  than  do  that  we  preferred  to  make  Dibs,* 
and  boil  the  fruit  into  Tabikh  'eneb  ^  for  our  own 
use  in  winter  and  for  sale  in  villages  and  towns. 
When  the  grapes  had  been  pressed  in  the  old 
cuttings  in  the  rocks,  which,  with  vineyards,  are  as 
old  as  humanity,  we  boys  used  to  suck  the  sweet 
juice  as  it  flowed  down  into  the  pitchers  below.® 
I  always  thought  that  the  rocks  and  vineyards 
which  had  belonged  to  my  ancestors  and  were 
never  out  of  repair  could  never  change  hands. 

1  Full  of  peril. 

2  The  brook  of  Eshcol  where  Joshua  found  the  fine  grapes, 
Numbers  xiii.   23. 

3  Five  pence  for  six  and  a  half  pounds.  *  Treacle. 
^  Preserved  grapes.              ^  Deuteronomy  xxxii.  13. 


284  THE  IMMOVABLE   EAST 

But  we  must  bow  down  and  accept  what  was 
written  from  Eternity  !  Little  did  I  know  that 
soon  we  should  have  to  abandon  home  and 
heritage  and,  fleeing  from  the  land  of  our  fathers, 
never  again  handle  the  small  Dibs-Kaakeer,  ^ 
never  again  taste  our  good  fruit  and  drink  our  own 
water  near  the  tombs  of  our  Lords  and  Ladies, 
Abraham,  Isaac,  Joseph,  Sarah  and  Lea — on 
whom   be   peace ! 

"  Usually  we  remained  two  to  three  months  in 
the  small  house  and  huts  of  our  vineyard,  and 
when  the  harvest  was  over  and  all  was  ready  in 
pots,  my  father  and  I  would  start  off  and  sell  our 
produce,  either  for  cash  or  for  wheat,  barley, 
butter  and  the  like,  which  in  turn  we  sold  in  the 
Hebron  market.  Thus,  when  still  young,  did  I 
learn  the  art  of  trading. 

"  One  dark  night,  when  the  rainy  season  was 
almost  at  our  door  and  much  work  yet  remained 
to  be  done  in  the  vineyard,  where  there  was  a  fine 
crop  of  winter  grapes,  we  were  suddenly  awakened 
by  unaccustomed  sounds,  as  of  men  stealthily 
coming  in  our  direction.  As  quick  as  thought 
we  reached  for  our  swords,  but  no  sooner  had  we 
done  so  than  armed  and  thickly  masked  men 
stood  above  us  and  with  vigorous  blows  stunned 
us.  The  fingers  on  their  covered  mouths  and  their 
swords  held  menacingly  above  our  heads  were 
arguments  which  needed  no  further  explanation. 

^  Pots  made  in  Hebron. 


AMONGST   ROBBERS  285 

Dumb    with    terror,    my    father,    mother    and 
two  sisters  lay  motionless,   their  eyes  half  open, 
their  faces  as  pale  as  death.     The  wild  eyes  of  the 
robbers,  looking  daggers  at  us,  seemed  to  say  : 
'  Stir  if  you  dare  !  '     Of  course,  it  was  useless  to 
think  of  resisting,  or  attempting  to  call  for  help — 
that   would   have   meant   immediate   death.     So 
we    let    our    assailants    have    their    way.     Soon, 
quite  distinctly,  we  could  hear  the  cutting  of  the 
grapes,  the  loading  of  animals,  the  whispering  of 
many  men,  and,  finally,  the  retreat  of  the  whole 
band.     But  before  they  left  us  we  were  bound 
hand  and  foot  with  our  own  turbans  and  girdles. 
Bleeding  from  our  wounds,  we  had  to  disentangle 
ourselves   as   best   we   could.     It   was   not   until 
daylight  that  we  got  free  of  our  bonds  and  began 
to  try  to  find  out  in  which  direction  the  robbers 
had  gone.     That  would  have  been  an  easy  task 
here,  on  the  sandy  plain  ;    but  along  the  stony 
roads  of  Djebel  el  Khaleel  it  was  impossible  to  find 
a  single  trace  of  them.     In  vain  we  asked  passers- 
by,  but  nobody  had  seen  any  suspicious-looking 
camel-drivers.      So  my   father,  though  suffering 
from  the  wound  on  his  head  and  exhausted  through 
the  night's  adventure,   set  out  with  me  in  the 
direction  of  Jerusalem,  the  only  likely  market  to 
which  thieves  would  venture  to  take  stolen  goods. 
When  we  had  walked  for  fully  two  hours,  we 
stopped  at  ^Ain  'Arrub,  the  great  spring  intended 
from  time  immemorial  to  supply  Jerusalem  with 

20 (2I31) 


286  THE   IMMOVABLE  EAST 

healthy  water.  ^  Sitting  down  at  the  small 
Kahwy,2  we  asked  for  coffee,  and,  whilst  sipping 
the  hot  beverage,  put  questions.  The  Kah- 
wadjy  told  us  that  he  had  seen  many  troops 
passing,  bands  of  camels  loaded  with  wood, 
Karami,  3  charcoal,  vegetables  and  grapes — an 
endless  procession  of  people  and  things  on  their 
way  to  the  Jerusalem  market.  He  had  noticed 
five  men  with  four  camels  and  a  donkey  ;  they 
were  armed  and  carried  grapes  in  Shakadeef  * — 
a  curious  way  of  transporting  fruit — and,  unlike 
the  other  passers-by,  they  were  in  a  hurry.  By 
the  light  of  his  dim  lantern,  he  noticed  that  one 
of  the  men  had  a  very  dark  and  unkempt  beard, 
and  he  thought  that  he  recognised  him  to  be 
from  Dura,  south  of  Hebron,  where  no  grapes 
are  grown.  '  Allah  yen  ^al  Abu-1-Khayen— God 
curse  the  father  of  the  thief !  '  he  added  to  him- 
self, and  then,  in  a  louder  tone  :  '  But  I  am  no 
detective.  You  know  the  proverb  :  "  Kuthur  il 
'haki  Khibi-wa-giletahu  hiby,— Much  talk  is  a 
nuisance  ;   little  is  respectful."  ' 

"  We  had  learnt  enough.  My  father  decided 
that  it  was  best  not  to  follow  ;  to  have  done  so 
would  probably  have  led  to  a  fight,  in  which  we 
should  surely  have  been  killed.  So  we  returned 
home.  .  .  .     Two    days    later,    some    people    of 

1  A  work  which  Herod  the  Great  partly  carried  out  and  which 
has  been  awaiting  completion  by  a  modern  engineering  genius 
for  twenty  centuries. 

2  Roadside  inn.  ^  Stumps.  *  Wooden   cages. 


THE   HEBRON   MARKET  287 

Dura,  with  camels  and  Shakadeef,  passed  Hebron. 
We  exchanged  looks  and  both  parties  understood. 
But  what  redress  had  we  ?  To  have  taken  the 
matter  to  the  courts  would  have  been  mere  waste 
of  time  and  money.  Where  is  the  proof  without 
Majidis  ?  No  ;  we  knew  of  a  better  way  than 
that  of  settling  accounts. 

"  On  a  market  day,  about  a  fortnight  later,  some 
of  our  Ghareem,^  as  we  now  called  the  thieves, 
came  to  Hebron  to  sell  he-goats  and  Samn.  My 
father  went  to  ask  them  their  prices,  fully  deter- 
mined to  kick  up  a  row.  Butchers,  tanners, 
grocers,  Fellahin  and  Fellahat,  and  a  few  soldiers 
composed  the  dense  crowd  about  the  pool  of 
Hebron,  where  all  public  transactions  take  place. 
The  skins  of  the  he-goats  killed  there  ^  were  sold 
to  the  tanners,  who  have  a  reputation  for  making 
the  best  Throuf,  ^  as  well  as  the  smaller  Kirbies, 
in  the  whole  country.  Walking  up  to  one  of  the 
Dura  men  whom  he  suspected  of  having  been  the 
leader  of  those  who  had  deprived  us  of  the  pleasure 
of  making  Dibs  that  year,  my  father  said  he 
wanted  a  good  big  Tharf,  *  made  of  the  skin  of  one 
of  the  he-goats  of  Dura,  to  put  his  Dibs  in.  And 
as  he  stated  his  requirements  he  looked  wildly 
into  our  enemy's  eyes. 

"  '  In-sha- Allah,'    replied    the    man    ironically, 

1  Antagonists.  2   Qf    jj    Samuel  iv.   12. 

*  Large  skin  oil  or  water  bottles. 

*  Singular  of  Throuf. 


288  THE  IMMOVABLE   EAST 

*  ril  provide  for  your  Dibs  next  year.  I  have 
good  camels  and  .  .  .  '  But  before  he  had  time 
to  utter  another  word  my  father's  Shibriye 
flashed  from  its  scabbard.  'It  is  this  Tharf 
I  want — Ya  tais — Oh!  he-goat!'  exclaimed  my 
father,  as  the  long  blade  entered  the  rogue's  body 
up  to  the  very  hilt. 

"  In  the  confusion  which  followed,  we  escaped 
and  at  once  left  the  town,  taking  with  us  a  few 
of  the  most  necessary  articles  of  clothing.  That 
evening  we  reached  Beth-Jibrin,  where  my  mother 
and  sisters  soon  joined  us  with  every  portable 
household  implement.  But  the  people  of  Dura 
soon  found  out  our  retreat  and  we  again  moved  to 
Gaza,  where  we  had  relatives.  In  our  movements 
from  place  to  place,  we  quickly  came  to  know  the 
country  and  people,  and  had  no  difficulty  in  finding 
opportunities  for  trade.  After  a  time,  however, 
we  found  that  Gaza — a  town  we  very  much  liked 
on  account  of  its  austere  Moslem  population,  as 
yet  free  from  foreigners — was  not  far  enough  away 
from  our  persecutors.  So  we  set  off  once  more, 
this  time  to  Lydda,  for  we  townsmen  cannot  easily 
live  among  the  Fellahin.  It  is  all  right  to  be 
with  them  for  a  night  or  two,  but  we  do  not  care 
to  keep  company  with  them  longer.  They  have 
none  of  our  habits.  They  live  mostly  on  vege- 
tables and  oil  and  dried  fruit,  whilst  we  townsmen 
like  a  good  plate  of  Ma^hshy,  ^  with  now  and  then 

^  Rice  and  hashed  meat,  rolled  in  vine  leaves. 


TRADING   IN   VILLAGES  289 

yakhny^  and  even  bread.  Besides,  we  are  born 
traders,  and  it  is  only  in  towns  that  we  can  do 
good  business  by  buying  and  selling  goods. 

"  When  we  were  found  out  by  the  officials, 
continual  bribery  was  the  only  way  to  get  rid  of 
them.  By  means  of  our  Hebron  relatives  we  sold 
our  vineyard  and  our  home,  in  order  to  pay,  pay, 
pay — until  we  had  nothing  left.  Then  we  were 
abandoned.  But  our  Ghareem  never  detected  us. 
In  Lydda  it  was  easier  to  pass  unnoticed  than  in 
Gaza,  where  the  darker  Philisto-Egyptian  popula- 
tion formed  a  striking  contrast  to  people  of  our 
fair  complexion.  But  Lydda  contained  too  many 
Christians  for  our  liking.  Estabhshed  long  ago 
in  the  country,  they  were  keen  competitors  in  our 
trade.  They  not  only  carried  shirting  and  silk. 
Abbas  and  shoes  to  the  villagers  on  their  donkeys, 
they  even  carried  prickly  pears  and  melons  in 
the  mountain  villages  round  about.  And  so  we 
again  set  off  on  our  travels.  Our  next  place  of 
residence  was  the  more  Moslem  town  of  Nablus. 
There  the  population  more  resembled  the  Hebron- 
ites  ;  they  were  stern  believers,  disdaining  inter- 
course with  the  viler  and  poorer  class  of  Christians  ; 
and,  besides,  the  town  was  an  industrial  one.  If 
Hebron  could  boast  of  its  glass  bracelets,  its  big 
he-goat  skins,  and  its  fine  grapes ;  if  Gaza  was  still 
the  grainery  of  Palestine  ;  if  Lydda  was  reputed 
for  its  oil  markets  and  mat  industry,  Nablus  could 

*  Meat  and  vegetables. 


290  THE    IMMOVABLE   EAST 

point  with  pride  to  its  soap  manufactories,  one  of 
the  most  important  factors  of  the  wealth  of  that 
prosperous  inland  town.  Then  we  must  not 
forget  that  the  Zbeeb^  and  Samn  of  Es-Salt, 
beyond  Jordan,  in  addition  to  the  Hauran  wheat, 
stored  there  for  further  importation,  have  enriched 
many  a  Nablusite. 

"  But  the  unsettled  state  of  Palestine,  due  to 
strife  among  the  Fellahin,  hindered  the  country's 
free  development  and  was  the  reason  for  our 
business  being  stopped  for  years.  Once,  when  on 
a  commercial  journey  to  Jerusalem,  we  were 
robbed  at  'Ain  el  'Haramiyeh,  half-way  to  that 
town,  of  all  our  goods.  We  appealed  to  a  few 
powerful  Shiukh  of  Selun  (Shiloh),  Sinjil^  and  Jibia 
(Gibeah),  but  found  that  it  was  better  policy  to 
'  grin  and  bear  it,'  since  the  baksheesh  was  equiva- 
lent to  a  second  robbery.  Consequently  we  took 
other  measures  in  future,  and  never  went  on 
j  ourneys  except  in  fairly  large  companies. 

'*  Now,  the  continual  moving  about  and  exile 
from  our  dear  home  had  an  ill-effect  on  my  father's 
health,  and  thus,  instead  of  being  laid  to  rest  in 
the  Turby^  near  our  Haram,  he  had  to  be  buried 
far  from  his  native  country.  How  we  longed  to 
return  there  !  The  fertile  valley  of  Nablus  with 
its  enormous  nut-trees,  the  fruit  of  all  kinds, 
the  olive-groves  out  in  the  plain,  the  droves  of 
cattle    and   sheep,    roaming    over    the    stubble, 

^  Raisins.         ^  From  the  Crusader  St.  Gilles.         ^  Cemetery. 


ANCIENT   RITES  291 

continually  reminded  us  of  the  neighbourhood  of 
Hebron.  A  beautiful  country  indeed,  but  despite 
its  beauty  and  the  twelve  springs  which  supply 
the  town  with  an  abundance  of  water,  we  could 
not  forget  our  own  town  and  district.  Instead  of 
the  Siknaj  ^  of  Hebron,  who  form  a  hvely  part 
of  the  population  of  that  town,  we  had  the  quiet 
and  exclusive  sect  of  Samaritans,  the  smallest 
religious  community  in  the  world,  who  go  mys- 
teriously to  their  holy  mountain  on  Gerizim  and 
perform  mysterious  rites.  In  Hebron  we  possessed, 
besides  the  tombs  of  Abraham  and  Sarah  (on 
whom  be  peace !),  Abraham's  oak,  visited  by 
thousands  of  Christians  ;  but  in  Nablus  there  is 
only  Jacob's  Well,  a  much  less  frequented  shrine. 
"  In  course  of  time  a  Jerusalem  family  came  to 
pass  a  few  summer  months  in  the  cool  valley  and 
lived  next  door  to  us.  The  womenfolk  became 
friends  and  we  were  invited  to  visit  them  when  in 
Jerusalem.  Our  friendship  ended  in  marriage. 
A  young  man  of  the  family  and  myself  exchanged 
sisters.  Thus  we  all  went  to  live  in  Jerusalem, 
of  which  town  I  am  now  a  citizen.  And  I  trust, 
since  it  was  not  my  father's  privilege  to  lie  near 
Sidna  Ibrahim  el  Khaleel,  it  will  be  my  lot  to  live 
and  die  near  the  Beit-el-Makdas,  the  second 
'Haram  which  he  built  after  the  Kaaba  at  Mecca, 
and  before  he  constructed  the  third  one  at  Hebron, 
and  be  buried  away  from  home.       I  came  near, 

1  Polish  Jews. 


292  THE    IMMOVABLE   EAST 

last  night,  to  finding  a  grave  in  the  sands  of  this 
district,  but  'Ozrain^  spared  me.  II  'hamdu 
1-illah  ! — Thanks  be  to  God  !  I  have  attended 
regular  Friday  services  whenever  I  was  in  town. 
I  have  fasted  the  thirty  days  of  every  Ramadan 
since  a  boy  of  twelve.  I  have  never  omitted 
my  regular  five  prayers  a  day.  And  when  down 
with  the  fever  or  with  ophthalmia,  years  ago 
in  Hebron,  or  when  half  stunned  by  robbers, 
I  never  missed  on  the  very  next  occasion  recalling 
the  omitted  prayer.  I  have  always  tried  to  live 
in  unpolluted  quarters,  away  from  Nasara^  and 
Franjis.  I  have  never  bought  in  their  shops, 
though  it  is  true  they  are  very  clean  and  neat, 
and  contain  better  wares  than  those  of  my  own 
people.  But  I  believe  in  good  old  Islamitic  ways  ; 
and  though  you  have  now  offered  hospitality  in 
such  a  kind  way,  this  was  written  in  the  book  from 
Eternity.  It  had  to  come  to  pass  ;  neither  you 
nor  I  could  help  it. 

"  Many  are  the  transformations  that  have  taken 
place  in  Palestine  since  the  wild  days  of  my  youth, 
when  travellers  could  hardly  venture  to  the  next 
village  for  fear  of  robbers  who  infested  the  country. 
The  days  of  Fellah  Sheikhdom  are  over.  The 
Turkish  authorities  first  set  up  order  in  the 
towns  ;  then  in  the  provinces.  Conscription  has 
produced   a   great   change.      The   Crimean   War 

1  Or  'Ozrail.  The  Arabs  change  the  final  n  into  /,  or 
vice-versS,,  indifferently. 

2  Native  Christians. 


MODERN   INVASION  293 

gave  rights  to  the  Allies,  the  French  and  the 
Enghsh,  and  Christians  poured  in.  Hebron,  which 
until  lately  had  never  seen  a  Christian  living  in  its 
precincts,  has  been  lost  to  Islam.  The  fearful 
Jews  have  set  up  colonies  here  on  this  very  plain, 
colonies  such  as  Richon  le  Zion,  Ekron  and  Katra, 
and  so  forth.  The  Prussians  have  splendid  settle- 
ments about  Jaffa,  Jerusalem,  Carmel,  the  Plains 
of  Sharon  and  Esdraelon.  Allah  best  knows  why 
he  allows  foreign  religions  to  come  into  this  Holy 
Land,  the  land  of  Prophets  and  Welies." 

And  lifting  up  his  turban  towards  the  skies, 
Hassan  Yaseen  cried  to  his  God : — 

"  Why  have  you  rescued  me  from  so  many 
perils  ;  from  the  vineyard  attack  in  Hebron,  from 
battles  between  Kase  and  Yaman  factions,  from 
the  dangers  and  accidents  of  the  road — why  have 
you  let  me  live  to  see  Islam,  at  least  in  the  towns, 
almost  giving  way  before  the  Franjis  and  their 
ideas  ?  " 

At  this  point  of  Hassan's  story,  'Hadj  Imham- 
mad  came  forward  with  a  donkey  which  he  had 
found  feeding  on  the  scanty  Haifa  leaves  which 
grow  in  the  sand.  Our  friend  at  once  recognised 
the  animal  as  the  one  he  had  been  riding  when 
the  attack  took  place.  His  Bedawin  assailants, 
after  having  robbed  him  of  a  few  golden  Hras  and 
his  Abba,  had  taken  the  donkey  away,  but, 
probably  finding  the  beast  rather  cumbersome  for 
horsemen  to  steal,  had  abandoned  it.     Hassan  was 


294  THE    IMMOVABLE  EAST 

glad  to  recover  his  steed,  which,  since  it  belonged 
to  a  Mukari  of  Lydda,  he  would  undoubtedly  have 
had  to  pay  for  had  it  been  lost.  Now,  he  said,  he 
would  be  able  to  return  the  animal  to  its  owner, 
after  he  had  reached  Jerusalem.  His  future  plans, 
he  went  on  to  say,  were  already  made.  Passing 
by  Kariet-el-Eneb,  he  would  visit  the  Sheikh  el 
Enbowy,  the  representative  Khalify  of  the  Dsuki 
order,  to  whose  Dervishes  he  had  secretly  belonged 
for  many  years,  and  would  become  a  real  Dervish 
with  the  outward  and  visible  signs  :  the  pointed 
woollen  cap,  the  short  spear,  and  the  diplomas 
well  in  evidence.  He  would  pass  the  remainder  of 
his  life  in  or  about  Beit  el  Makdas,  serving  Allah  ; 
and  whenever  the  Muazzin  called  to  prayers  he 
would  then  and  there  pray.  In  short,  he  would 
lead  a  holy  life,  and  read  the  Koran  as  much  as  he 
could,  for,  though  he  had  read  parts  of  the  Book 
at  the  Kuttab  at  Hebron,  he  was  not  entitled  to 
be  called  a  full-fledged  reader  or  Kari,  a  title  which 
was  only  given  to  students  who  could  read  the 
114  Suras. 

Ill 
On  the  following  day  we  set  out  with  the  embryo 
Dervish  to  take  him  at  least  as  far  as  Ramleh, 
where  he  could  find  friends  of  his  own  religion, 
So  intent  was  he  on  getting  to  the  end  of  his 
journey  that  he  remained  silent  and  thoughtful 
almost  the  whole  of  the  way.  The  villages  of 
Zernuga,    El-Kabu     and     others    inhabited    by 


By  /yeniiissio>i  0/ 


flu-    American    Colony   Photoi^niphen.    ]  frugal  cm 


Tower  of  Rami  eh 


THE   TOWER   OF   RAMLEH  295 

Egyptian  colonists  of  Ibrahim  Pasha's  days  held 
forth  no  attractions  for  him.  Nor  did  he  evince 
much  interest  when,  riding  through  the  fertile 
oases  of  Wad-Ihnain,  where  orange-gardens  and 
sugar-canes  grow,  old  ruined  buildings  showed  that 
an  older  civiHsation  had  passed  that  way  before 
the  town  of  Ramleh  was  built.  Round  every 
winding  in  the  long  sandy  way  leading  to  the  fine 
olive-groves  of  Ramleh  remains  of  the  town  were 
visible.  There  the  Crusaders  had  fought  hard  to 
conquer  the  Holy  Land  ;  there  Saladin  had  again 
reconquered  the  plains.  Then  the  stately  tower 
of  Ramleh,  a  last  rehc  of  its  greatness  under  the 
Moslem,  appeared  in  the  distance. 

As  we  rode  side  by  side  through  the  prickly-pear 
hedged  gardens — Moslem  and  Frank  for  once  at 
peace — we  reflected  on  the  ups  and  downs  in  the 
history  of  this  part  of  the  country.  Hassan, 
probably,  dreamed  of  the  restoration  in  Islam's 
name  of  all  these  decaying  towns.  We  saw  naught 
save  decadence — the  passing  glory  of  the  great 
Khalifs  and  Sultans,  who  won  empires  for  Islam, 
and  whose  power  was  now  to  be  renewed  in  the 
name  of  progress.  But  ultimately  in  whose 
favour  ?  Engineers  passed  us,  measuring  and 
making  plans  for  a  future  railway  from  Jaffa  to 
Jerusalem.  Hassan  Yaseen  was  sick  of  all  these 
renewals.  When  the  carriage  way  to  Jerusalem 
was  built  in  1868  and  carriages  rolled  into  Jerusa- 
lem, he  thought  that  with  them  Christianity  and 


296  THE   IMMOVABLE   EAST 

Occidental  progress  had  made  its  real  entrance  to 
the  Beit  el  Makdas.  But,  lo  and  behold,  a  new 
invention  replaced  the  old.  What  had  this  iron  road 
and  its  noisy  locomotives  in  store  for  the  holy 
soil  ?  Oh  !  that  Allah  would  never  allow  him  to 
Hve  to  see  all  these  transformations.  The  future, 
judging  by  the  past,  looked  very  black  to  Hassan 
Yaseen.  Where,  he  asked  himself,  were  the 
*Abd-en-Nabis  of  the  north,  the  Mustapha  Abu- 
Ghoshes  of  the  west,  Mesleh  el  'Azzy,  Mohammed 
Dervish,  the  Salem  Shakhturs,  and  the  many 
mighty  men  of  forty  years  ago  who  ruled  the 
country  and  never  submitted  to  the  governors  of 
Jerusalem  ?  ''Alas  !  the  old  times  are  going  and 
the  new  ones  in  no  way  embelUsh  Islam,"  he  said, 
ere  he  disappeared  in  the  narrow,  paved  streets 
of  Ramleh,  which  he  preferred  to  the  carriage  road 
where  hotels  and  modern  coffee-houses  abounded, 
with  Franks,  Jews  and  native  travellers  awaiting 
the  departure  of  one  of  the  Palestine  coaches, 
driven  by  Jewish  drivers. 


MODERN 

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London  &  Jiatk 


INDEX 


Abba    (Fellah  mantle),    14,    15, 

54,  60,  129,  224,  289 
Abbasid  dynasty,  252 
Abdallah  Obey,   117 
Abdallah  Saleh,  53,  54,  58 
Abd-el-Kareem,  64 
Abd-en-Nabis,  296 
Abd-er-Rahman  el  Helal,  218 
Abdul  Med j id,  HI 
Abdy,  235 
Abeyan  (pure  bred  horses),  192, 

217 
Abigail,  279 

Abimelech,  Intro,  xvii,  197  n^ 
Abraham,  Intro,  xiv,  xviii,  24, 

86,  93,  96,  214,  281,  284,  291 
Absalom's  pillar,  237 
Abu  Abed,   129 
Abu  Baghel,  181 
Abu  Braise  (see  Gecko),  18 
Abu  Dib,  179,  189 
Abu-Dis,  218,  230,  232,  238,  245, 

246 
Abu  Ehmar,  181 
Abu  Fahed,   179 
Abu  Ghirreh,  180 
Abu-Ghosh  (Mustapha),  296 
Abu  Ghrab,  195 
Abu-1-Ghrair,  186 
Abu  Klabe,   181 
Abu-1-Haradin    (mountain   near 

Solomon's  Pools),  21 
Abu-1-Ehseine,  180,  190 
Abu-1-Fataiess,   190 
Abu  Madba,  179,  180 
Abu  Sehan,  179 
Abu  Sheeby,   179 
Abu  Sliman,  176,  179 
Abu  Tansar,  177 
Abu  Tasbi,  177 
Abu  Te'hsen,  181 
Abu  Thor,  181 
Abu  Zeid,  mountain,  near  Urtas, 

113,  222 
Abu-Zemoor,  249 
Acca,  Intro,  xvii,  200 


Adam,  76.  79,  80,  81,  175 
,  sons  of.  78,  84,  153.  177, 

185 
Adama,   17 
Adder,  deaf,  147 
Adonai,  84 

Aduan  (tribe),  25,  33,  144.  208 
Aduany  Bedawin,  148 
Adullam,   102 
Afarid  (spirits),  92 
Africans,  north,  279 
Agnus  castus,  59,  279 
Ahab,  128 
Ai,  King  of,  16 
'Ain  'Arrub,  285 
'Ain  Askala,  281,  283 
Ain-el  'Asafeer.  185 
'Ain  el  'Haramiyeh,  290 
Ain-el-Haych.  185 
Ain  esh-Shananeer.  186 
'Ain    Etan,     100,    continuation 

n\  103,  109 
Ain  Fashkhah,  232 
Ain  Ghazaleh,  186 
'Ain  Hamdeh,  near  Urtas.  112 
Ain-Jiddy.  185 
'Ain  Rimmon,  103  and  n^ 
'Ain  Saleh,  103,  109 
'Ain-Shams   (Beth-shemesh) ,  53 
'Ain-Sultan,  48 
'Ain  Urtas,  103  and  n^ 
Ajalon  (Yalo),  206 
Ajami,   76,   77,   78,   87,   88,   89, 

90,  91,  96 
'Ajur,  119 
'Akal   or  Agaal    (Bedawi   head 

cord),  37,  210 
Albanian,  199 
Alfred,    Prince,    son    of    Queen 

Victoria,  113 
Alhim  (Jin),  85 
Ah,  Sheikh  Sidna,  72 
•Alia,   119,   218 

AU-el-Thiab,  25, 142, 143,145,208 
Allah,  Intro,  xv,  50.  58.  76,  78, 

79,  81.  90.  175 


297 


298 


INDEX 


American  colonists.  111 

Amorites,  3,  5,  91 

Amos,  3 

Angel,  monstrous,  79 

Angel  of  Death,  82,  93 

Anglure,  Baron  d',  13  n^ 

Animals  in  Paradise,  86 

'Antar,  222 

Anti-Lebanon,  140 

Antioch,  107  n^ 

Apiaries,  279 

Apocalyptical  dragon,  94 

Apple  of  Sodom,  41 

Arab  (modern),  247 

Arab  sultans,  109 

Arafat,   16  «i,  19,  63 

Arabia.  5,  83,   177,   193,  213 

Arnold,  Matthew,  quoted,  98 

Arnon,   106 

Ascalon,  56 

Asclepia  gigantea,  40,  41 

Ash  Allheem,  187 

Ashan,  103  «3 

Ashdod,  52,  57,  281 

Ashteroth,  Intro,  xv,  81,  130 

Assyria,  Intro,  xvii 

'Atareen,  Harat-el,  212 

Athene   (Philip  Baldensperger's 

mare),  48 
'Attar,  238 
'Auja,  river,  72 
Aurora,   129 
Azazmeh  Arabs,  153 
Azizis,  175,  179 

Baal,  Intro,  xiv,  xv,  5,  81,  88, 

89,  90,  93,  96,  265,  275 
Baal,  prophets  of,  88 
Baal-zebub,  72 
Bab-el-' Amud,  242 
Bab  Sitti  Mariam,  237 
Babylon,  71,  72 
Badariyeh,  129,  130,  134 
Badger,  180,  186 
Baftu  Hindi  (song),  270 
Bagdad,  252 
Bairak,  195 

Bakoosh,  near  Urtas,  112 
Balkans,  276 
Bard,  221 

Basel  Spittler  Mission,  Intro,  viii 
Bashan,  149 


Batn  el-Ekra',  106 

Bats,  180 

Battir,  60,  61,  66 

Bawardi,  119 

Bazaar,  213,  237 

Bear,  179 

Beauty,  Bedawiye,  225 

Bedariyeh      (Moslem      Aurora), 

Intro.  XV 
Bedawi  clothing,  36 
Bedawi  dervish,  72 
Bedawi  Rascheidy,  148 
Bedawi  song,  24 
Bedawi  warrior,  29 
Bedawin  agriculturists,   139 
Bedawin  (Bedouins),  Intro,  viii, 

X,   1  wS     10,     17,    24-49,    99, 

115 
Bedawin  country,  23,  49 
Bedawiyat,  28,  37,  274 
Bedawiye,  46 
Bedu  (see  Bedawin),  I  n^ 
Beersheba,   Intro,  xvii,  24,   103 

M»,   153 
Bees,  21,  90,  185.  278 
Beit  Dejan,  73 
Beit-'Etab,   109 
Beit-ej-Jmal,  185 
Beit  el  Makdas,   87,   291.   294, 

296 
Beit-Mahsir,  76,  81,  96 
Beit-Jibrim,  288 
Beni  Adam,  194 
Beni  Ehmar,  186 
Beni-Israel,  249 
Beni-Sakher,  149,  245 
Benton,  Frank,  U.S.  bee-keeper, 

Intro.  X,  xi 
Benjamin,  197 
Beshhk,  134 
Bethany,  15,  218,  240 
Bethel.  Intro,  xvii.  16.  187,  241 
Bether,  60 
Bethlehem,  Intro,  x,  xvii,  xviii, 

25,  99  «3.  100,  102.  104,  105, 

106,  107,  116,  218,  256,  257 
Bethlehemite  women,  119 
Beth-Nimreh,  190 
Beth  Safafa,  128.  133,  134 
Beth-Sahur,  17 
Beth-shemesh,  53 
Beth-Tamar,  17 


INDEX 


299 


Beybars,  Sultan,  26  «^ 

Beyrack  (holy  standard),  265 

Beyrut,  Intro,  xi 

Bible  heroes,  102 

Biblical  curses,  17 

Biblical   Researches  in  Palestine, 

Robinson's,  99  w^.  111 
Birds,  40 

Bir  el-Arwah  (Well  of  Souls),  94 
Bir-ez-Zeibak,  73 
Birket-ej-Jamoos,  186 
Birket  es-Sultan,  95 
Blanchegarde,  279 
Bliss,     Dr.     F.     J.,     American 

Archaeologist,  Intro,  xiii 
Blood  on  door-posts,  271 
Boars,  41,  48,  180,  186 
Bonaparte,  199,  200 
Bowaab      (black      janitor      of 

Takrur),  61  and  n^,  63 
Bracelets,  233 
Braise,  Abu  (or  Gecko),  18 
Brazen  serpent,  145 
Bread  and  salt,  281 
Buffalo,  180,  186 
Burka,  197,  201 
Buzzard,  180 
Byarat.  191 

Cairo,  252 

Cairo,  Citadel  of,  200  n  ^ 

Calem  (pen),  247 

Caletropis  procera,  40 

Calirrhoe,  40,  107 

Camels,  24,  52,  58,  185,  269 

Camp  life,  34 

Canaan,  Intro,  xvi,  261 

Canaanites,  Intro,  xiv,  3,  4,  93, 

130 
Carines  (Greek  legend),  89  w^ 
Carmel,  Mt.,  Intro,  xv,  87,  275, 

293 
Cats,  171,  180 
Cavalry,  Turkish,  215 
Cemetery,  Jewish,  237 
Cemetery,  Mohammedan,  68 
Chameleons,  181 
Chastians,  108 
Cheetahs,  31  and  n^,  41,  45 
Cherith,  Brook,  149 
Chinese  mythology,  89  n^ 
Christ,  Intro,  xv 


Christianity,  83 

Christian  King  of  Jerusalem,  107 

Christian  missions,  108 

Christians,  82,  88,  256,  283,  293 

Christmas,  283 

Church  of  Nativity,  106 

Church  of  the  Garden,    Urtas, 

108 
Citadel  of  Cairo,  200  n  ^ 
Cities  of  the  Plain,  17 
Clermont-Ganneau,      Professor, 

26  «i 
Cobra  di  capello,  146 
Coffee-house,  62,  212 
Colonists,  American,  111 

,  German,  111 

Colony,  German,  66 

Colubridae,  145 

Conder,  Claude  Reignier,  author 

of    Tent    Work   in    Palestine, 

Intro,  viii,  1  n^  272 
Congress,  Animals',  176 
Conies,  180,  186 
Conscription,  292 
Convent,  Greek,  of  Elijah,   127 
Convent,  Latin,  130,  133 
Convent  of  St.  George,  261 
Convent    of    St.    Mary    of    the 

Garden,  Urtas,  108 
Corsican,  the  great,  200 
Cow-camel,  45 
Creator  of  the  Universe,  78 
Crimean  War,  292 
Crocodile,  181,  186 
Croesus,  16 
Crusaders,  54,  107  »«,  114,   279, 

295 
Crusaders'  Church,  113 
Curtiss,  S.  S.,  Chicago  Professor, 

Intro,  xiii 
Cymbals,  259 

Daboia   Viper,    35,    146,    147, 

148,  150,  181 
Dagon,  the  Temple  of,  73 
Dair-Dubban,  186 
Dair  esh-Sheikh,  90 
Damascus,    64,    209,    216,    227, 

252,  272 
Damascus  Gate,  Jerusalem,  61, 

89,  242 
Damascus  road,  65,  69 


300 


INDEX 


Damieh  bridge,  26  « ^ 

Dan,  177 

Dancing,  233,  271 

David,    Intro,   ix,    53,   91,    102, 

103,  250,  272,  275,  279 
David's  Gate,  Jerusalem,  237 
David's  harp,  258 
Dead  Sea,  Intro,  xvi,  39,  40,  42, 

87,  91,  99  and  n^,   107,   140, 

148,  180,  208,  219,  232,  238 
Deborah,  207 
Deir  el  Banat,  107,  108 
Deluge,  176 
Dervish,   72-97.    146,   265,    275, 

277   294 
Desert  of  Judah,   105,   136,  277 
Dibs,  283,  287 
Djebel-el-Khaleel,  285 
Djebel  -  esh  -  Sheikh     (Hermon), 

99  and  m^,  179 
Dogs,   186 

Dom-apples,  36,  37,  232 
Dom-meal,  35 
Dom    or    Lotus    tree    (Zizyphus 

spina    Christi),    34,    35,    139, 

144 
Dome,  sacred,  68 
Donkey,  186 
Dothan,  24 

Dragomans,  Intro,  xiv 
Draper's  street,  212 
Dutt    (timbrel),     249,   251,   259, 

262,  271,  275 
Dung  Gate,  Jerusalem,  67 
Dura,  204,  286,  287 
Durbukky,  259 

Eagles,  180 

Eastern  lovers,  220 

Eastern  luxuries,  236 

Easter  songs,  257 

Ebal,  Intro,  xv,  208 

Ebn-Obeid,  17 

'Ebr-en-Nisr,   185 

Eden,  79 

Edom,  desert  of,  153 

Edomite  princess,  103 

Edomites,  105 

'Eed  il  Milady  (Christmas),  283 

Egypt,  Intro,  xvii,  24,  88,  199, 

200 
Egypt,  song  of,  269 


Egyptian  colonists,  295 
Egyptian  princess,  103,  198,  201, 

206,  273 
Egypt,  river  of,  201 
Ehmad,  39 

Ehmad,  Abu,  the  Fellah,  7,  8 
Ehmad     Jabber,     52,    53,     58, 

64 
Ekron,  72,  293,  279 
Eleagnus  angustifolius,  42 
Eleazar,  55 

Elijah,  Greek  Convent  of,  127 
Ehjah  the  Tishbite,  Intro,  xiv, 

XV,  12,  66,  87,  265 
El  Arroub,   105 
El-Azhar  (Cairo),  252 
El    Badawi  (leader    of    Dervish 

order),  79 
El    Dsuki    (leader    of    Dervish 

order),  79,  294 
El  Enbowy,  294 
El    Erfa'i     (leader    of    Dervish 

order),  79,  146 
El  Ghor,  99 
El  Hammam,   106 
El  Kabu,  294 
El    Kadri     (leader    of    Dervish 

order),  79 
El  Khadr  (St.  George),  87,  261 
El  Kuds  esh  Shareef  (Jerusalem), 

78,  94 
Emmaus,  107 
Endor,  witch  at,  Intro,  xiv 
Engedi,  190 
Engiddy,  17 
Ephraim,  180 
Er-Rahib,  93 
'Esa  (Jesus),  82 
Esculap,  35,  145,  181 
Esdraelon,  23,  24,  293 
Esdud  (Ashdod),  281 
Etam,  57,  99  n^,  100,  103,  104, 

106 
Ethmane    Abd-el-Hei,    52,    53, 

57 
Ethmane  el-Lahame,  200 
Euphrates,  177,  187 
Eve,  76,  80 
Evil  eye,  122 
Executions,  16 

Fabri,  Felix,  105  n^ 


INDEX 


301 


Faghur,  in  Wady  el  Biar,  112 

Fardies,  43,  44 

Fatme,  52 

Fate  (Naseeb).  75 

Fate,  248,  282 

Fatiha,   129 

Fauna  and  Flora,  17 

Feast  of  Booths,  256 

Fellah,   Intro,  viii,  x,   1-16  and 

ti\  1,   18,  24,  25,    27,  35,  39, 

44.  48,  54,  55,  57,  61,  64,  66 
FeUaha,  33,  250 
Fellahat,  28,  44,  61 
Fellah-el-Hitr,  24 
Fever,  292 

Fiddle,  one-stringed,  221 
Finjan        'Kahwy         (poisoned 

coffee-cup),  216 
Finn,    Mr.,    British    Consul    at 

Jerusalem,  113 
Fleas,  186 
Flies.  186 

Flora  in  August,  279 
Fortuna,  74 

Fountain,  sealed,  103,  262 
Fox  (Abu  Shman),  176 
Fox,  186 
Francolins,  40 
Franji,  74 

Franjis,  281,  292,  293 
Frank,  37,  91 
Frank    mountain,    near    Urtas, 

105,  112 
Freer,   A.   Goodrich,   Author  of 

Inner  Jerusalem,  Intro,  xiii 
French,  293 

Friday  Fair,  Jerusalem,  237,  239 
Frogs,  40 
Frogs  of  Jericho,  139 

Gabriel,  Angel,  19,  95,  192 
Gahlee,  149 

Gardens  of  Solomon,  98-114 
Gaza,  Intro,  x,  xvii,  52,  56,  88, 

153,  278,  288,  289 
Gazelles,  180,  186 
Geba,  103  m^ 
Gecko       {Ptyodactylus       hassel- 

quisti),  18,  181 
Gederoth  (Katra),  279 
Gehazi,  Intro,  xvii 
Genii  (Jan),  Intro,  xiv,  75 

21— (2131) 


Gerizim,  208 

Gerizim,  Mt.,  291 

Gethsemane,  241 

Gezer,  104 

Ghahe,  33,  39 

Ghaliun  (pipe),  38 

Ghazu    (marauding  excursions), 

23,  152,  191,  210 
Ghareem,  115,  287,  289 
Ghawarneh  Bedawin,   179,  243 
Ghul,  86,  92 
Gibeah,  Intro,  xviii 
Gihon,  Pool  of,  95  n  » 
Gilboa,  275 
Gipsies,  261 
Girdle,    history   of   the,    in   the 

East,  12  and  13  n^ 
Girls,  dancing,  262 
Glass  bracelets,  289 
Goats,  23 

Gobat,  Bishop,  Intro,  ix 
Gods,  81 
Goliath,  53  272 
Golden    Gate,     Jerusalem,    64, 

67 
Golden  Calf,  271 
Gomorrah.  17,  41 
Gospel  (Ingile),  82 
Graineries,  23 
Grainery  of  Palestine,  289 
Grapes  of  Eshcol,  282 
Grapes  (Hamdany),  60 
Greece,  Intro,  xvii 
Greek  convent,  237,  241 
Greeks,  Intro,  xv,  91 
Greek  ossuary,  94 
Greengrocer,   131 
Guardian  spirits,  86 
Gublem  Sheikh.  213 

Hadj  Abdallah,  234 

Had]    Imhammad    Abu    Bekr, 

63 
Hadr,  191 
Hadrabad,  270 
Hagar,  32 
Hajeen,  180 

Hakimy  (doctoress),  282 
Halawy,  Harat  el,  213 
Halime,  52 

Hamdany  (Palestine  grapes),  60 
Hamdiyeh,  34 


302 


INDEX 


Hamulies    (groups   of   families), 

115 
Hamzy,  Sheikh,  281 
Hanash,  35,  145,  195 
Haram,  Jerusalem,  68,  230,  290, 

291 
Harden  (Stellio-agamide  lizard), 

1  and  Ml,    2,  18-22.  59, 
Haroot,  the  Angel,  71,  76 
Hassanbaki  (tobacco),  38 
Hassan,  Ehmad,  117 
Hattin,  105  «»,  108 
Hauran,  290 

Hawi  (serpent-charmers),  4 
Hazazon-Tamar,  17 
Head  veil,  34 
Hebrew  Bible,  72 
Hebrews,  4,  5,  91,  95 
Hebron  bracelets,  233 
Hebron,  Intro,  x,  xvii,  88,  109. 

110,  281,  284 
Hedgehog,  180 
Hegira,  18,  19.  87 
He-goat  skins,  287 
'Heisoon,  192 
Helwy,  119,  234 
Herayarite  dynasty,  259 
Hermon,  Mt.,  25,  99,    140,    198, 

286,  291 
Herod  the  Great.  104,  105,  106, 

107,  286  wi 
High  places.  81 
Hinnom,  Valley  of,  67,  94,  95. 

103  «3 
Hittites,  3,  5 
Hivites,  3,  4 
Holy  rock,  265 
Honey,  thyme,  100  « ^ 
Horses,  180.  185.  192 
Horsemen,  Bedawin,  208 
Hortus  Conclusus,  107 
Houris,  80 
Hy.cnas,     144,     151,    160,    164, 

179,  182,  185,  279 
Hymettus,  Mt.,  100  w^ 

Ibex,  180,  185,  190 
Ibhs  (see  Satan),  78,  79.  91 
Ibrahim-et-Taiesh.   116,  128 
Ibrahim   Pasha,    111,   200.   206, 
Ichneumon,  180,  279,  295 
Imhammad-et-Talak.  25.  35 


Im-Imhammad,  42,  43,  47 

Indians,  123 

Ingile  (the  gospel),  82 

In-sha-AUah,  97 

Isaac,  24,  284 

Isaiah,  Intro,  xiv 

Ishmael,  32,  86,  93 

Ishmaelites,  213 

Islam,  5,  6,  80,  293 

Islam,  holy  colours  of,  80 

Israel,  children  of,  66.  213 

Israelites,    3,    5,    86,    105,    130, 

136,  252.  277 
Israelitic  tombs,  206 

Jabbar,  4 
Jabber,   123 
Jabber-es-Saleh,  128 
Jabburim  (or  Rephaims),  4 
Jacob.    Intro,    xviii,    16   n^,  24, 

251 
Jacob's  Well,  291 
Jaffa,  Intro,  x,  xvii,  56,  60,  96, 

201,  281,  293 
Jaffa  Gate,   Jerusalem,     16  n^, 

61,  67,  131 
JahaUne  Arabs,  153 
Jan,  37,  41,  75,  79,  81,  83,  84, 

85,  87,  88,  90,  93 
Jarrab,  191 
Jackal,    34.    57,    139.   144,    151, 

170,  180,  276,  279. 
Jamel  ed  Din  ebn  Nahar,  26 
Jehunum  (Hell),  80 
Jerboas,  48 
Jerusalem  railway.  60 
Jews,  81,  82.  84,  89,   105,  256, 

257.  283,  291 
Jebel  'Arafat,  19 
Jebusites,  3,  4,  5,  91 
Jehovah,  Intro,  xiv,  17,  85,  103. 

250.  273 
Jephthah's  daughter,  252,  262 
Jeremiah.  Intro,  xviii,  3,  31 
Jericho,   17,  48,   139,   141,   143, 

144,  243 
Jerusalem.    Intro,    x.    xv,    xvii, 

15.  49.  50,  57.  58,  60.  61.  62, 

70.  76,  87.  95.  99  n^  103  n^, 

104.   106.   108.   109,   110.   113, 

115,  220.  229.  230.  235.  239, 

250,  256.  269,  281,  286.  293 


INDEX 


303 


Jesus  Hilf,  126 

Jesus,  87,  107 

Jewish  colonies,  279 

Jewish  fortress,  17 

Jezreel,  23 

Jibia  (Gibeah),  290 

Job's  Well,  126 

Jonadab,  8 

Jonah.  19  «!,    86 

Jonas,  Prophet,  278 

Jonathan,  275 

Jones,    D.    A.,  U.S.  bee-keeper, 

Intro.  X 
Jordan,  Intro,  x,  23,  25-31,  33, 

41,  44,  45,  46,  48,  49,  99,  128, 

140.  147,  208,  243,  280 
Joseph,  Intro,  xviii,  284 
Joseph  and  his  Brethren,  262 
Josephus,  40,  103  and  m',  104 
Joshua,  Intro,  xiv,  3,   16 
Jrab  (leather  bag),  66 
Jubal,  248 
Judaea,  24,  48 
Juda?an  village,  233 
Judah,  mountain  of,  278 
Judah,    4,  91,  96,  103  n\    105, 

109 
Judah,  desert  of,  91,  105,  277 
Judges,  tombs  of,  94 
Judgment  Day,  72,  80.  83.  88, 

193 
Julfa.  192 
Jumad  the  First,  26 
Junis,  Naby,  278 
Jurn  el  Wawy,  186 

Kaaba,  83,  176,  263,  291 

Kadri,  El  (holy  order  of),  79 

Kadriye,  218 

Kafer  (Infidel),  132 

Kafir    (agriculturist,    inhabitant 

of  the  Kefr),  5 
Kafiye  (Bedawi  head-dress),  37, 

210 
Kaffrain,   31,  33,  35,  36,  39,  44 
Kaftan,  119 
Kahwadji  (coffee-house  keeper). 

62,   131,  286 
Kalat  el-Burak,  101 
Kamanjy  (fiddle),  258 
Kanoot  (harp),  251,  258 
Karassat,  191 


Kariny  (evil  spirit),  89  and  n*  , 

90 
Kari  (scholar),  294 
Kaseedy.  248,  259 
Kedar,  tents  of,  151 
Kedeesh,  180,  191 
Kedron,  48,  91,93.  237 
Kerak,  272 
Kersann6,  191 
Kesi  (tribe),  110 
Khadr.  El  (St.  George),  87,  124. 

192 
Khalawy.   192 
Khaleef.  146 
Khaleel.  39 

Khaleel  Abu-1-Ghreir,  116 
Khaleel    Ibrahim.    51,    52.    53, 

55,  58,  59,  120 
Khalet  eth  Theeb,  186 
Khamsy,  192 
Khan,  132,  238,  245 
Khanafer.  42 
Khateeb     (village     priest),     11, 

120, 124 
Khatify,  243 
K'hailane,  217 
K'hailet  (pure-bred),  212 
K'harlet  el-'Ajouss,  217 
Khirbet  el  Asad,  186 
Khirbet  el  Wahar,  186 
Khirbet.  Na'hleh  185 
Khirbet    el-Khokh,     100.    con- 
tinuation n^,  103 
Khirby  (ruin).  1  n^ 
Khirkah  (head-dress),  13 
Khurshud  Pasha,  208 
King  of  Beasts,  177,  178 
King  of  Birds,  177,  178 
King  of  trees,  178 
Kirby      (leather     water-bottle), 

\  n\    9,    10,    28  and  n\  29. 

30,  44,  287 
Kohl,  225 

Koran,  71,  80,  96.  115 
Kowthar  (river  in  Eden) ,  79 
Krad  (spirits),  92 
Kuds   esh-Shareef    (Jerusalem), 

78 

Laban.  16  m* 

Labban,  235 

Land  of  Prophets,  293 


304 


INDEX 


Lapis  infernalis  (Kutra),  282 
Lea,  284 

Lebanon.  25,  140,  178 
Leopards,  60,  179,  186,  190 
Leprosy,  18 

Leproserie  de  St.  Lazare,  126 
Lime-kiln,  268 
Literature  (Arab),  252 
Lizards,  17 
Lotus-tree,  35 
Lot,  87 

Lot,  Sea  of,  91 

Lubbaad  (article  of  dress),  52 
Lusignan,  Guy  of,  108 
Lydda,  73,   186,   197,  206,  207, 
288,  289 

Macalister,  R.  a.  Stewart, 
Author  of  The  Excavation  of 
Gezer,  Intro,  xiii 

Machabees,  91 

Macpelah,  Intro,  xvii 

Madani,  63 

Magic,  Books  of,  72 

Mahmood  II,  Sultan,  1 1 1 

Ma'hshy,  288 

Makam  (High-place),  5,  6,  87 

Malaria,  40,  49,  279 

Malha,  66 

Mamaluke,  200 

Mamilla,  91,  273 

Mamilla  (Pool  of),  89 

Mared,  92 

Mar  Elias,  127 

Mandeel  (handkerchief),  233 

Marauders,  279 

Maritime  Alps,  98 

Maroot,  the  Angel,  71,  76 

Mary,  son  of,  82 

Mary  Magdalene,  83 

Marghub,  192 

Marriages,  272 

Marshes,  279 

Market  at  Hebron,  287 

Masada,  17 

Mashani,  115 

Mastiguer,  17,  40 

Mat  industry,  289 

Maundrell,  writer  on  Palestine, 
101 

Mawaal  (song),  263,  274 

Mazmoor  (psalm),  251,  275 


Mecca,    5,   63,   83,   87,   95,  192 

263,  291 
Medina,  5 

Mediterranean,  98,  140,  204 
Mehjame  (hooked  almond  stick) 

14  n\  73 
Mehemet  Ali,  199,  200 
Me'hia  (dance),  262 
Me'hloot,  272 
Mehrab  (prayer-niche),  77 
Melchizedek,  Intro,  xvi,  214 
Merom,  177 
Meshullam,  Mr.,  106,   111,   113, 

114 
Meshullam,  Mr.  Peter,  112  and 

ni 
Messiah,  257 
Mesleh  el'Azzy,  296 
Micah,  3.  21,  22«i 
Michal.  273 
Middle  Ages,  109 
Millet,  Syrian,  204 
Miriam,  248,  252 
Moab,  Intro,  x,  23,  25,  33,  99. 

128,   144,   147,  245 
Moabite  princess,  103 
Mo'alakat,  263 
Mohammed,  Intro,  xv,  5,  18,  54. 

87,  89,  94,  192 
Moloch,  93,  95 
Moon  worship,  264 
Moosa,  122 

Moriah,  Intro,  xvii,  48,  86 
Moroccans,  279 
Moses,  73,  81,  85,  86,  218,  219, 

273 
Mosque  of  Omar,  68 
Mosque  of  Urtas,  109 
Mosque  of  Jerusalem,  109 
Mosque  of  the  Holy  Rock,  236 
Moslems,  82,  88,  91 
Mosquitoes,  29,  139,  176,  279 
Motawakkil,  Caliph,  12  n^ 
Mough  arid-Khalid,  106 
Mourning  songs,  263,  274 
Muhammad  Moosa,  50,  51,  52, 

55,  57,  58,  66 
Muhammet-el  Misleh,  200 
Mu'hrab,  150 
Mukari,  294 
Murra  (warrior),  259 
Musical  instruments,  259 


INDEX 


305 


Mustapha  Abu  Ghosh,  200 
Mustapha  Shahini,  120 

Naaman,  Intro,  xvii 

Nablus     (NeapoUs),      208,    210, 

211,  289,  290,  291 
Naboot,  29,  53,  102,  123,  280 
Naboth,  138  M  2 
Nabi-Ibrahim,  281,  282 
Naby  Daoud   (tomb  of  David), 

91 
Naby-Moosa,  219,  265 
Naby-Rubin,  72 
Nahal,  279 
Na'hash,  145,  195 
Nahr  Barghut,  186 
Nahr  el-Kalb,  186 
Nahr  et-Tamsa'h,  186 
Nahr  Rubin.  278 
Nahr  Sukreir,  278 
Naker  (examining  angel),  124 
N'amy,  34 
Napoleon  I,   199 
Narghile,  62 
Nasara,  292 
Naseeb,  282 
Nasra,  202 
Nazarenes,  257 
Neapolis  (Nablus),  208 
Necromancer,  260 
Nehemiah,  103  w^,  273,  275 
Neiye,  32,  58,  102,  117,  194,  249, 

251,  259,  262,  275 
Nejd,  192,  249 
Nekb  el-Khale,  185 
New  moon  solemnities,  277 
Nimrin,  144,  185,  208 
Nineveh,  83 

Nker  (examining  angel),  124 
Noah,  176,  248 
No'h  (song),  263,  274 
Nowairi    (Arab  historian),  26  n^ 
Nuns'  Convent  (Urtas),  107 

Oak  tree,  181 

Oak,  Abraham's,  291 

Obeidiye  (nomadic  tribe),   17  m* 

Occidental  progress,  296 

Olesister       ( Elceagnus      angusti- 

folius),  42 
Olives,    Mount   of,    15,    89,    91, 

95,  104,  140,  236,  240 

2IA — (213I). 


OUvet,  Mt.,  48 

Olive  groves,  295 

Omar,  Mosque  of,  68 

Omar  Ibn  Khattab,  Khalif,  109, 

265 
Omar,  Mosque  of,  68,  230 
Omniad  dynasty,  252 
Ophel,  67 

Ophidians,  family  of,  145 
Ophthalmia,  282 
Orange  gardens,  295 
Oriental  sagacity,  252 
'Oshair  (see    Asclepia  gigantea), 

41 
Ostrich  feathers,  141 
Othman,  Abu,  7 
Ottoman  pound,  120  n^ 
Owls,  181 
'Ozrael  (Angel of  Death),  82,  93, 

94,  292 

Palestine  coaches,  296 
Palestine    Exploration     Fund, 

Intro,  xiii,  26,  99 
Paradise,  76,  83,  173,  175 
Pentateuch  (Torah),  71 
Perez  (village),  4 
Perizzites,  3,  4,  5,  6,  9 
Phantoms,  91 
Pharaoh,   Intro,  xvii 
Philip's  Well  (near  Welejeh),  61 
Philistia,  Intro,  x.  52,  153,  187 
Philistines,  56,  57,  73 
Pipes,  39 

Plain  of  Esdraelon,  293 
Plain  of  Salem,  214 
Plain  of  Sharon,  72,  140,  293 
Plain  of  Sittim,  144 
Plain  of  Rephaim,  57,  66 
Platon,  Hugues,  quoted,  108 
Pomegranates,  101,  283 
Prayer-niche,  150 
Prickly  pears,  289 
Proverbs,  24,  44,  153,  155,   157, 

158,    161,    164,    168,    170,    171 

172,  173 
Psammosaurus  scincus,  17 
Ptyodactylus  hasselquisti ,  18 

Quarterly  Statement,  Palestine 
Exploration  Fund,  Intro,  xii, 
xiii,  26  n^.  272 


306 


INDEX 


Queen  Victoria,  113 

Rababy  (fiddle),  223,  250,  258. 

259,  263 
Rabbins,  99 
Rabee,  98,  99,  121,  191 
Rachel,   Intro,  xiv,  15,  119 
Rachel's  tomb,  123,  136,  273 
Rauwolffus,      Dr.      Leonardus, 

botanist,  quoted,   109 
Ravens,  276 
Razek,  Abu,  father  of  town  and 

city  traders,  7 
Railway  to  Jerusalem,  60 
Ralston,  Philip,  139 
Ramadan,  80,  173,  292 
Ramleh,  73,  88,  294,  295 
Rams,  flock  of,  169 
Rasads    (guardian    spirits),    86, 

90,  92 
Rebecca,  15 

Redeemer,  Convent  of  the,   133 
Red  Sea,  81,  248 
Rephaims,  3,  4 
Rephaim,    Plain   of,    Intro,    xv, 

57,  66,  127 
Rehoboam,  99  n^,  105 
Reuben,  Prophet,  278 
Rhamnus  nabeca,  144 
Rib'i,  115 
Richon-le-Zion,  293 
Robinson,  Edward,  Biblical  Re- 
searches in  Palestine,  quoted, 

99  n^.  111 
Rock,  Holy,  265 
Rod  of  Moses,  73 
Romans,  Intro,  xv,  91,  106 
Rome,  Intro,  xvii 
Roses,  Valley  of  the,  61 
Rubin,  Naby,  72 
Rubin  (river),  72,  278 
Ruins,  leandwi,  17,  278 
Ruth,  25 

Sa'ada,  120 

Sa' ad-el- Kanaas,  39,  41 

Sabe  (the  Lion),  164 

Sabeel,  128 

Safed,  Intro,  xv,  88 

Sahak  (dance),  271 

Sa'hjy  (dance),  121,  270,  271 

Saiara  (processions),  265 


Said  el-Ma'ati,  221,  246 
Said-es-Saleh,   130 
Sakhra  (Holy  Rock),  94,  265 
Saklawy,  192 
Saladin,  108,  295 
Saleh-el-Kaak,  25,  26,  34,  39 
Salem  er  Ra'hmane,  1 18 
Salem,  Plain  of,  Intro,  xvi,  xvii, 

214 
Salem  Shakhtur,  296 
Samson,  57 
Samn,  165,  287,  290 
Samaritan  Jews,  Intro,  xv,  208 
Samuel,  Intro,  xiv,  xviii 
Sand-partridges,  40 
Saracenic  castle  (Urtas),  101 
Saracens,  108 
Sarah,  Intro,   xviii,  121,  197  n^, 

284,  291 
Sar'ah,  204 
Sarrar,  Wad-es,  57 
Satan    (Esh-Shitan   er- Raj  earn), 

16  w\  75,  76 
Saul,  Intro,  xiv,   120,  272,  273, 

275 
Sawahry     (nomadic    tribe),    17 

«*,  245 
Saye  (part  of  Bedawi  clothing), 

36,  37 
Schmaar,  14  and  n  ^,  52,  54 
Sealed  fountain  (Urtas),  103 
Sea  of  Lot,  91 

Se'in    (small    Kirby    or    water- 
bottle),  44,  47 
Seir,  110 

Sehm  (Shiloh),  290 
Senegal  doves,  34 
Sentinels,  Turkish,  67 
Seraiya,  118,  132 
Serpent,  Brazen,  145 
Serpents,  176,  185 
Seville,  192 
Shaale  (cloak),  54,  210 
Shabbaby     (wind     instrument), 

259 
Shahini,  115,  120 
Shairim  (satyrs),  81,  82,  92 
Sharkiye  (East  wind),  36 
Sharon,  23,  24,  72 
Shaiateen,  91 
Shechem,  208 
Sheep,  fat-tailed,  23 


INDEX 


307 


She'er  (poetry),  264,  272,  273 

Sheikh  'Awad,  122 

Sheikh  Hamzy,  282 

Sheikh  Salem,  119 

Sheikh  Sidna  'Ali,  72 

Sheikh,  11 

Sherif  Moosa,  50,  54,  57 

Shibriyeh  (double-edged  dagger) , 

53,  241,  288 
Shittim,  23 
S'hoon  (cymbals),  259 
Shushey  (hair- tuft),  54 
Shuweikeh    (Shochoh),    53,    54, 

279 
Siddim,  Plain  of,  Intro,  xvi 
Sidr  (Dom-apples) ,  144 
Siknaj  (Polish  Jews),  291 
Siloam,   15,  26,  27,  95,  126,  237, 

240 
Sinai,  249 
Sinai,  Mt.,  85 
Sinjil  (St.  Gilles),  290 
Sisters,  Cathohc,  126 
Sisters,  Protestant,  126 
Sitti  Mariam,  241 
Sittim,  Plain  of,  144 
Sit-Ikhwithah,  197 
Slaughtering  place,  168 
SUman,  120 
Small-pox,  261 
Smugglers,  64 
Snoonoo,  178 
Sodom,  17,  41 
Solomon,    71,  82,  86,  87,  90,  99 

n^  103,  104,  186 
Solomon,  Gardens  of,  98-114 
Solomon's   Pools,    Intro,   x,   21, 

100,     continuation    n^,     101, 

106,   109,  110,  114,  115,   118 
Solomon,    Song  of,  60,   100  n  \ 

101 
Solomon,  throne  of,  71 
Songs  and  dances,  247 
Song  of  Joseph,  275 
Soofara  (wind  instruments) ,  259 
Sorek,  vale  of  (Wad-es-Sarrar) , 

57 
Soufaan,  51 
Sour  milk,  240 
Sparrows,  185 
Squills,  277 
Steeds,  Arab  217 


Stellio  cordilina,  18 

St.  George,  73,  87,  262 

St.  Jean  d'Acre,  108 

St.  Mary's  Gate,  237 

St.   Stephen's  Gate,   Jerusalem, 

65,  67,  69,  237 
Stones,  witness,  16  n^ 
Stradivarius,  250 
Sugar-cane,  295 
Suk  el  'Attarin,  234,  238 
Suk  el-Khawajat,  240 
Suk  el-Lahamin,  234,  238 
Sultan  Wakham  (malaria),  279 
Suras  (the  114),  294 
Surma      (sheep-leather     shoes), 

54 
Swallow,  176 
Swelem,  Abu,  7 
Syrian  millet,  204 

Ta'amry  (nomadic  tribe),  Intro. 

ix,   17  «*,   110,  111,  115,   119, 

273 
Tabon  (oven),  22 
Tacitus,  40 
Tahleel  (prayers),  277 
Takiyeh  (white  cap),  51 
Takrur,  61 
Tancred,  107 
Tanib,  116 
Tanour,  109 
Tarbush,  13,  52,  55 
Tarsha,  146,  147 
Tekoa,  17,  99  w^  105,  112 
TeU-el  Ehseiny,  186 
Tell-el-Kadi,  177 
Tell-es-Safi  (Blanchegarde),  279 
Templars,  108 
Temple,  67,  70,  236 
Thab  or  Mastiguer  (  Uromastix 

spinipes),  17  and  18 
Thar,  116,  118 
Themudians,  93 
Thob    (shirt),   1  n\   11,   17,  51, 

55,  69,  119 
Throuf  (skin  bottles),  287 
Tiberias,  85,  107 
Timbrel  (duff),  249,  251,  277 
Tobacco,  35,  37,  57,  58,  144 
Tobba  Hassan,  259 
Tochen,  103  m^ 
Tombak  (Persian  tobacco),  62 


308 


INDEX 


Tomb-caves,  205 

Torah  (Pentateuch),  71,  81,  84, 

248 
Tower  of  Ramleh,  295 
Trading  in  villages,  289 
Trans jordanic  region,  141-147 
Treacle,  283 
Tribes  of  Israel,  248 
Tribunal  at  Jerusalem,  124 
Tristram,    Canon,     Fauna    and 

Flora  of  Palestine,  1 7  «  * 
Tubbar  (iron-headed  club),  55 
Tunis,  249 
Turban,  brown,  54 
Turban,  green,  52 
Turtle-doves,  34,  144 
Turkish  army,  199 
Turkish   Government,    57,    282, 

292 
Turks,  57,  270 
Typewriter  (ungodly),  247 
Tyrian  purple,  104 

Ululation,  121  n\  231,  272 
Universe,  Creator  of,  78 
Uromasiix  spinipes,  18 
Urtas,  Intro,  viii,  x,  99  and  n ', 
100  and  w\  101,  103-126 

Vale  of  Sorek.  57,  278 
Valley  of  the  Roses,  61,  128 
Valley  of  Hinnom,  67 

of  the  Mills,  106 

of  Urtas,  106 

of  the  Wells,  106 

Van  der  Velde,  Narrative  of  a 
Journey  through  Syria  and 
Palestine  in  1851  and  1852, 
112  n^ 

Vegetables,  286 

Veil,  234 

Venetians,  introduce  vegetables 
into  Palestine,  113 

Venus,  71 

Vetches,  191 

Vine  and  fig-tree,  252 

Vineyards  at  Esheal,  283,  284 

bite,  43 

Viper  charmer,  146 
Viper,  Daboia,  35,  146 
Vow,  261 

Vultures,  144,  194 


Wad-el-Bedoon,  185 

Wad-el-Dab'a,  185 

Wad  el  Khanzeer,  185 

Wad  en-Nar,  93 

Wad  er-Rahib,  93 

Wad-es-Sarrar,  57,  278 

Wad-es-Sumt,  278 

Wad  et  Tawaheen,  103  «»,  106 

Wad-Faria,  214 

Wadies,  279 

Wady-AU,  205 

Wad  Ihnain,  295 

Wady  el-Biar,  106.  107,  112 

Wady  Esmain,  59 

Wady  Kelt,  149 

Wady-Urtas,  107 

Wakham  (malaria),  40,  49 

Wandering  bard,  221 

Wandering  dervish,  72 

Waran  {Psammosaurus  scincus), 

17,  278 
War  song,  273 
Water  of  eternal  life,  76 
Watta  (camel-hide  shoes),  51 
Wawy,  190 
Wayfarers,  280 
Weapon,  53 
Welejeh,  61,  66 
Wely    (see   Makam),    5,    76,   79, 

81,  88,  293 
Well  of  souls,  94 
WTiale  of  Jonah,  86 
Wheat-wells,  151 
Wilderness  feasts,  278 
Wilderness  of  Judah,  266 
Will-'o-the-wisp,  42 
Winter  evening  games,  264 
Winter  grapes,  284 
Wolf,  179 
Wolves,  144 
Women  of  Israel,  272 

Yabneel  (Yebna).  281 
Yahia  (the  commentator),  71 
Yahoor  (Jews),  257 
Yalo  (Ajalon),  206 
Yaman  (faction),  259,  293 
Yamani  (tribe),  110 
Yarghool  (instrument),  259 
Yarmuth,  103  n^ 
Yemen,  259 
Yesmain  'Ali,  53,  55,  58,  60 


INDEX 


309 


Za'ara  (viper),  147 
Zagharlt,  121 
Zaghroot.  121,  272 
Zamenis  carbonarius,   145 
Zamenis  viridiflavus,  19  m' 
Zaqum   (see  Oleaster),  42,  44 
Zbeeb  (dried  grapes),  290 
Zeboim,  17 

Zechariah,  Intro,  xiv,  103  n ' 
Zeer  (warrior),  259,  261 
Zeinati,  222 


Zerka,  181 

Zernuga,  294 

Zion,  Intro,  ix,  x,  48,  89,  91,  93, 

94 
Zion's  Gate,  Jerusalem,  67,  237 
Zizyphus  spina  Christi,  35,  36 
Zoar,  Intro,  xvi,  17 
Zoomara,  249,  251 
Zorah,  204 
Zoreah,  56,  103  «s 


Printed  by  Sir  Isaac  Pitman  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  Bath. 
(2131) 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    000  922  007    o 


